capricious

adjective

ca·pri·cious kə-ˈpri-shəs How to pronounce capricious (audio)

-ˈprē-

: governed or characterized by caprice : impulsive, unpredictable

capriciously adverb

capriciousness noun

Did you know?

How long has caprice appeared in English?

The adjective capricious and its close relation, the noun caprice (a synonym of whim), both derive via French from the Italian capriccio, which originally referred not to a sudden desire but to a sudden shudder of fear. Capriccio, in turn, likely derives from the Italian capo, meaning "head," and riccio, the word for "hedgehog." The implication was that someone who shuddered in fear was said to have a "hedgehog head," meaning that the person's hair stood on end like the spines of a hedgehog.

Example Sentences

… every balloon voyage is a race between capricious winds and the amount of fuel on board.

Tom Morganthau, Newsweek, 29 Mar. 1999 She is capricious, however, and is said to take bribes and wantonly peddle her influence from time to time.

Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 1994 Lady Luck is a capricious mother who, as in a recurrent nightmare, always offers, never comes through, and never stops smiling.

Hugh Drummond, Boston Magazine, November 1989 I don't believe in random occurrences or blind chance, though I know the patterns of this world are capricious and terribly complex.

Leslie Marmon Silko, letter, 21 Aug. 1979 employees who are at the mercy of a capricious manager The court ruled that the punishment was arbitrary and capricious. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Under the steady composure, the young mother hides a web of complicated feelings and a capricious, self-deluding narrative.

Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2022 Due to the links style of play, set-up and capricious weather, momentum is not necessarily rewarded at the Open compared to its major brethren.

Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 29 June 2022 That is, the whistleblower must show that the IRS in its decision on the facts was arbitrary and capricious (as opposed to the more traditional de novo review – where the court decides the issue).

Dean Zerbe, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 Critics of strict red-flag laws and more robust background checks often lament those restrictions as capricious, arbitrary, and lacking due process.

Byjohn Cohen, ABC News, 7 July 2022 All of this comes as China’s economic problems—a dysfunctional housing market, high youth unemployment, rising skepticism among Western multinationals and a capricious regulatory environment—increasingly look structural rather than cyclical.

Nathaniel Taplin, WSJ, 6 Aug. 2022 By assigning an arbitrator to oversee the review of facts and decide on the initial penalty, the revision aimed to stem criticisms of Goodell’s outsized and sometimes capricious power in the disciplinary process.

New York Times, 3 Aug. 2022 But Antoinette is capricious rather than malicious (imagine Annie Hall in the natural world).

Armond White, National Review, 27 July 2022 But perception doesn't always line up with reality, and the economists at the Federal Reserve are as susceptible to capricious economic shifts as you and I.

Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 24 July 2022 See More

capricious

adjective

as in unpredictable

likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly capricious weather that was balmy one day and freezing cold the next

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

unpredictable
volatile
changeful
inconsistent
unstable
uncertain
variable
fickle
inconstant
mercurial
temperamental
changeable
mutable
unsettled
fluctuating
erratic
arbitrary
random
unsteady
haphazard
unreliable
fluid
skittish
aimless
scattered
flickery
slapdash
ambivalent
shaky
stray
vacillating
untrustworthy
up in the air
desultory
undependable
irregular
wavering
dicey
hit-or-miss
hesitating
protean
versatile
adaptable
shilly-shallying
mobile
shilly-shally

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

certain
predictable
constant
invariable
unchangeable
immutable
unchanging
unvarying
steady
stable
changeless
stationary
equable
uniform
persistent
permanent
settled
even
abiding
durable
lasting
reliable
dependable
true
sure
trustworthy
trusty
tried
tried-and-true

as in impulsive

prone to sudden illogical changes of mind, ideas, or actions a capricious woman who changed her mind dozens of times about what color to paint the bathroom

Synonyms & Similar Words

impulsive
eccentric
volatile
whimsical
moody
freakish
impetuous
arbitrary
romantic
willful
mercurial
temperamental
fickle
inconstant
erratic
quirky
shaky
impractical
flaky
quixotic
irregular
wilful
unrealistic
crankish
utopian
visionary
quixotical

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reasonable
equable
practical
pragmatic
sensible
pragmatical
rational
hardheaded
logical
earthy
sound
levelheaded
inflexible
invariable
grounded
sane
unrelenting
unyielding
unalterable
uncompromising
unchangeable
immutable
unbending
commonsensical
constant
sober
fixed
tough-minded
fast
unchanging
matter-of-fact
steady
stable
steadfast
unvarying
down-to-earth
changeless
sobersided
hard-boiled
no-nonsense
established
settled
hard-and-fast
set

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of capricious are fickle, inconstant, mercurial, and unstable. While all these words mean "lacking firmness or steadiness (as in purpose or devotion)," capricious suggests motivation by sudden whim or fancy and stresses unpredictability.

an utterly capricious critic

In some situations, the words fickle and capricious are roughly equivalent. However, fickle suggests unreliability because of perverse changeability and incapacity for steadfastness.

performers discover how fickle fans can be

Although the words inconstant and capricious have much in common, inconstant implies an incapacity for steadiness and an inherent tendency to change.

an inconstant friend

The meanings of mercurial and capricious largely overlap; however, mercurial implies a rapid changeability in mood.

made anxious by her boss's mercurial temperament

While the synonyms unstable and capricious are close in meaning, unstable implies an incapacity for remaining in a fixed position or steady course and applies especially to a lack of emotional balance.

too unstable to hold a job

单词	capricious
释义	capricious adjective ca·pri·cious kə-ˈpri-shəs -ˈprē- : governed or characterized by caprice : impulsive, unpredictable capriciously adverb capriciousness noun Did you know? How long has caprice appeared in English? The adjective capricious and its close relation, the noun caprice (a synonym of whim), both derive via French from the Italian capriccio, which originally referred not to a sudden desire but to a sudden shudder of fear. Capriccio, in turn, likely derives from the Italian capo, meaning "head," and riccio, the word for "hedgehog." The implication was that someone who shuddered in fear was said to have a "hedgehog head," meaning that the person's hair stood on end like the spines of a hedgehog. Synonyms changeable changeful fickle flickery fluctuating fluid inconsistent inconstant mercurial mutable skittish temperamental uncertain unpredictable unsettled unstable unsteady variable volatile See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences … every balloon voyage is a race between capricious winds and the amount of fuel on board. Tom Morganthau, Newsweek, 29 Mar. 1999 She is capricious, however, and is said to take bribes and wantonly peddle her influence from time to time. Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 1994 Lady Luck is a capricious mother who, as in a recurrent nightmare, always offers, never comes through, and never stops smiling. Hugh Drummond, Boston Magazine, November 1989 I don't believe in random occurrences or blind chance, though I know the patterns of this world are capricious and terribly complex. Leslie Marmon Silko, letter, 21 Aug. 1979 employees who are at the mercy of a capricious manager The court ruled that the punishment was arbitrary and capricious. See More Recent Examples on the Web Under the steady composure, the young mother hides a web of complicated feelings and a capricious, self-deluding narrative. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2022 Due to the links style of play, set-up and capricious weather, momentum is not necessarily rewarded at the Open compared to its major brethren. Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 29 June 2022 That is, the whistleblower must show that the IRS in its decision on the facts was arbitrary and capricious (as opposed to the more traditional de novo review – where the court decides the issue). Dean Zerbe, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 Critics of strict red-flag laws and more robust background checks often lament those restrictions as capricious, arbitrary, and lacking due process. Byjohn Cohen, ABC News, 7 July 2022 All of this comes as China’s economic problems—a dysfunctional housing market, high youth unemployment, rising skepticism among Western multinationals and a capricious regulatory environment—increasingly look structural rather than cyclical. Nathaniel Taplin, WSJ, 6 Aug. 2022 By assigning an arbitrator to oversee the review of facts and decide on the initial penalty, the revision aimed to stem criticisms of Goodell’s outsized and sometimes capricious power in the disciplinary process. New York Times, 3 Aug. 2022 But Antoinette is capricious rather than malicious (imagine Annie Hall in the natural world). Armond White, National Review, 27 July 2022 But perception doesn't always line up with reality, and the economists at the Federal Reserve are as susceptible to capricious economic shifts as you and I. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 24 July 2022 See More Word History Etymology borrowed from Middle French capricieux, borrowed from Italian capriccioso, from capriccio caprice + -oso -ous First Known Use 1601, in the meaning defined above Kids Definition capricious adjective ca·pri·cious kə-ˈpri-shəs 1 : moved or controlled by a sudden desire a capricious shopper 2 : likely to change suddenly capricious weather Legal Definition capricious adjective ca·pri·cious kə-ˈpri-shəs, -ˈprē- 1 : governed or characterized by impulse or whim: as a : lacking a rational basis b : likely to change suddenly 2 : not supported by the weight of evidence or established rules of law —often used in the phrase arbitrary and capricious capricious adjective 1 as in unpredictable likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly capricious weather that was balmy one day and freezing cold the next Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance unpredictable volatile changeful inconsistent unstable uncertain variable fickle inconstant mercurial temperamental changeable mutable unsettled fluctuating erratic arbitrary random unsteady haphazard unreliable fluid skittish aimless scattered flickery slapdash ambivalent shaky stray vacillating untrustworthy up in the air desultory undependable irregular wavering dicey hit-or-miss hesitating protean versatile adaptable shilly-shallying mobile shilly-shally Antonyms & Near Antonyms certain predictable constant invariable unchangeable immutable unchanging unvarying steady stable changeless stationary equable uniform persistent permanent settled even abiding durable lasting reliable dependable true sure trustworthy trusty tried tried-and-true See More 2 as in impulsive prone to sudden illogical changes of mind, ideas, or actions a capricious woman who changed her mind dozens of times about what color to paint the bathroom Synonyms & Similar Words impulsive eccentric volatile whimsical moody freakish impetuous arbitrary romantic willful mercurial temperamental fickle inconstant erratic quirky shaky impractical flaky quixotic irregular wilful unrealistic crankish utopian visionary quixotical Antonyms & Near Antonyms reasonable equable practical pragmatic sensible pragmatical rational hardheaded logical earthy sound levelheaded inflexible invariable grounded sane unrelenting unyielding unalterable uncompromising unchangeable immutable unbending commonsensical constant sober fixed tough-minded fast unchanging matter-of-fact steady stable steadfast unvarying down-to-earth changeless sobersided hard-boiled no-nonsense established settled hard-and-fast set See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of capricious are fickle, inconstant, mercurial, and unstable. While all these words mean "lacking firmness or steadiness (as in purpose or devotion)," capricious suggests motivation by sudden whim or fancy and stresses unpredictability. an utterly capricious critic In some situations, the words fickle and capricious are roughly equivalent. However, fickle suggests unreliability because of perverse changeability and incapacity for steadfastness. performers discover how fickle fans can be Although the words inconstant and capricious have much in common, inconstant implies an incapacity for steadiness and an inherent tendency to change. an inconstant friend The meanings of mercurial and capricious largely overlap; however, mercurial implies a rapid changeability in mood. made anxious by her boss's mercurial temperament While the synonyms unstable and capricious are close in meaning, unstable implies an incapacity for remaining in a fixed position or steady course and applies especially to a lack of emotional balance. too unstable to hold a job
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capricious

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

adjective

Legal Definition

adjective

adjective

Synonym Chooser