A caprice is an unexpected action or decision which has no strong reason or purpose.
[formal]
I lived in terror of her sudden caprices and moods.
Synonyms: whim, notion, impulse, freak More Synonyms of caprice
caprice in British English
(kəˈpriːs)
noun
1.
a sudden or unpredictable change of attitude, behaviour, etc; whim
2.
a tendency to such changes
3. another word for capriccio
Word origin
C17: from French, from Italian capriccio a shiver, caprice, from capo head + riccio hedgehog, suggesting a convulsive shudder in which the hair stood on end like a hedgehog'sspines; meaning also influenced by Italian capra goat, by folk etymology
caprice in American English
(kəˈpris)
noun
1.
a sudden, impulsive change in the way one thinks or acts; freakish notion; whim
2.
a capricious quality or nature
3. Music
a capriccio
SYNONYMY NOTE: caprice refers to a sudden, impulsive, apparently unmotivated turn of mind or emotion [discharged at the caprice of a foreman]; whim, whimsy both refer to an idle, quaint, or curious notion, but , whim more often suggests willfulness and , whimsy fancifulness [pursuing a whim, he wrote a poem full of whimsy]; vagary suggests a highly unusual or extravagant notion [the vagaries in fashion in women's clothes]; crotchet implies great eccentricity and connotes stubbornness in opposition to prevailingthought, usually on some insignificant point [his crotchets concerning diet]
Word origin
Fr < It capriccio, a shivering, whim < capo (< L caput, head) + riccio, curl, frizzled, lit., hedgehog (< L ericius: see urchin); hence, orig., head with bristling hair, horripilation; meaning infl. by assoc.with It capriola (see capriole) & capra < L capra, she-goat
Examples of 'caprice' in a sentence
caprice
It was a time of enthusiasms, caprice and reckless technologies.
Zindell, David THE BROKEN GOD (2001)
(noun)
Definition
a sudden change of attitude or behaviour
Dash had always been indulged in every caprice.
Synonyms
whim
We decided, more or less on a whim, to sail to Morocco.
notion
I had a whimsical notion to fly off to Rio that night.
impulse
I resisted an impulse to smile.
freak
fad
He does not believe that environmental concern is a passing fad.
quirk
the quirks and foibles of people in everyday situations
vagary
a coat as a provision against the vagaries of the weather
protection against operational vagaries
whimsy
humour
fancy
His interest was just a passing fancy.
fickleness
the fickleness of businessmen and politicians
inconstancy
fitfulness
changeableness
Additional synonyms
in the sense of fad
Definition
an intense but short-lived fashion
He does not believe that environmental concern is a passing fad.
Synonyms
craze,
fashion,
trend,
fancy,
rage,
mode,
vogue,
whim,
mania,
affectation
in the sense of fancy
Definition
a sudden or irrational liking for a person or thing