Errant
CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD
wander, roam, rove, range, stray
These words all denote walking or moving in some way that is not a direct line. Some imply more energy and purpose than others.
■ Wandering denotes movement that is not purposefully directed towards a particular goal. This lack of purpose may result from indecision or lack of energy, or may simply indicate that someone is not in a hurry.
■ Those who roam move around with little forward planning but generally show more energy than the wanderer.
■ Rove is a rather old-fashioned word meaning ‘travel constantly without a fixed long-term destination, but is now most commonly used as roving, which conveys quite a strong sense of purpose. Roving often means ‘employed to work in many different places’.
■ Range is a less common word, indicating movement that is free from restrictions or constraints and is usually over a wide area, but is nevertheless purposeful.
■ Stray denotes movement away from where one should be, or into a wrong or inappropriate place.
