1
Core quality
Incorrect, mistaken, or containing an error.
Example
An erroneous date distorted the timeline.
erroneous
/ɪˈrəʊniəs/ · ih-ROH-nee-usadjective
Incorrect, mistaken, or containing an error.
Use erroneous to express this relationship precisely: incorrect, mistaken, or containing an error.
What erroneous Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
The claim proved erroneous after the records were found.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
Accurate data can still support an erroneous inference.
Use erroneous Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
An erroneous date distorted the timeline.
The claim proved erroneous after the records were found.
Accurate data can still support an erroneous inference.
Precision Matters
Erroneous overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
erroneous
vs.Means incorrect, mistaken, or containing an error.
incontrovertible
Means impossible to deny or dispute because the evidence is decisive.
erroneous
vs.Means incorrect, mistaken, or containing an error.
plausible
Means seeming reasonable, credible, or likely to be true, even if not yet proved.
erroneous
vs.Means incorrect, mistaken, or containing an error.
astute
Means showing sharp judgment, practical intelligence, and an ability to understand situations accurately.
erroneous
vs.Means incorrect, mistaken, or containing an error.
specious
Means seemingly reasonable, true, or attractive at first, but actually false or misleading.
Test erroneous in Context
A clear counting error made the result incorrect.
1
The estimate was ___ because it counted the same households twice.