Standard Lemma guide

wandering

adj · noun · verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈwɑndəɹɪŋ/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈwɒndəɹɪŋ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: W AA1 N D ER0 IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Which wanders; travelling from place to place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Abnormally capable of moving in certain directions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: medicine, sciences

Examples

  • a wandering kidney; a wandering liver

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Travelling without preset route; roaming.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Irregular turning of the eyes.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Aimless thought.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Straying from a desired path.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

Disordered speech or delirium.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: in-plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

present participle and gerund of wander

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

having no fixed course

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an erratic comet
  • his life followed a wandering course
  • a planetary vagabond

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: erratic, planetary

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective satellite

Meaning 10

migratory

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a restless mobile society
  • the nomadic habits of the Bedouins
  • believed the profession of a peregrine typist would have a happy future
  • wandering tribes

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mobile, nomadic, peregrine, roving

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

travelling about without any clear destination

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she followed him in his wanderings and looked after him

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: roving, vagabondage

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: travel, traveling, travelling

Narrower terms: drifting

History

Etymology

From wander + -ing.

Across languages

Translations

48 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: səyyar — which wanders
  • Azerbaijani: gəzərgi — which wanders
  • Bulgarian: скитащ (skitašt) — which wanders
  • Bulgarian: странстващ (stranstvašt) — which wanders
  • Galician: vagabundo — which wanders
  • Greek: περιπλανώμενος (periplanómenos) — which wanders
  • Hindi: घुमक्कड़ (ghumakkaṛ) — which wanders
  • Latin: vagus — which wanders
  • Latin: errābundus — which wanders
  • Latin: vagabundus — which wanders
  • Polish: wędrowny — which wanders
  • Portuguese: errante — which wanders
  • Portuguese: vagante — which wanders
  • Russian: блужда́ющий (bluždájuščij) — which wanders
  • Russian: стра́нствующий (stránstvujuščij) — which wanders
  • Russian: скита́ющийся (skitájuščijsja) — which wanders
  • Scottish Gaelic: air seachran — which wanders
  • Spanish: errabundo — which wanders
  • Spanish: andariego — which wanders
  • Spanish: errante — which wanders
  • Spanish: peripatético — which wanders
  • Ottoman Turkish: آزغین (azgın) — which wanders
  • Bulgarian: скитане (skitane) — roaming
  • Bulgarian: странстване (stranstvane) — roaming
  • French: errement — roaming
  • French: errance — roaming
  • Ancient Greek: πλάνη (plánē) — roaming
  • Ancient Greek: ἄλη (álē) — roaming
  • Icelandic: vapp — roaming
  • Irish: fán — roaming
  • Irish: fánaíocht — roaming
  • Korean: 방랑 (bangnang) — roaming
  • Latin: vagus — roaming
  • Macedonian: талка (talka) — roaming
  • Māori: tihoitanga — roaming
  • Polish: wędrowny — roaming
  • Russian: блужда́ния (bluždánija) — roaming
  • Russian: стра́нствия (stránstvija) — roaming
  • Russian: скита́ния (skitánija) — roaming
  • Scottish Gaelic: allaban — roaming
  • French: errement — aimless thought
  • French: divagation — aimless thought
  • Bulgarian: блуждаене (bluždaene) — straying
  • French: errement — straying
  • Irish: seachrán — straying
  • Māori: kotititanga — straying
  • Bulgarian: бълнуване (bǎlnuvane) — disordered speech
  • Bulgarian: несвързано говорене (nesvǎrzano govorene) — disordered speech
Real reading context

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