sesat

Sesat is an Indonesian and Malay adjective meaning astray or misguided. It can describe someone who is physically lost, as well as ideas, beliefs, or conduct that deviate from accepted norms or truth. In everyday language, sesat often carries a moral or normative judgment when applied to thoughts or actions.

The word is native to Malay and Indonesian, with its precise historical development not uniformly documented. It is typically formed with the prefix se- to indicate a total or complete state, and it appears in compounds such as jalan sesat (an erroneous or dangerous path) and ajaran sesat (heretical teachings).

In use, sesat contrasts with tersesat, which specifically means getting lost in a physical sense. A person can tersesat in a forest, while a set of beliefs can be described as sesat. Common phrases include jalan sesat and ajaran sesat to denote paths or doctrines judged as wrong or misleading.

In discourse, sesat often appears in religious, ethical, or political discussions, where groups or ideas are described as sesat to signal deviation from established or accepted positions. The term can convey strong disapproval and may be seen as pejorative depending on context, but it is also used descriptively in neutral reporting or analysis.