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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective capricious differ from other similar words?

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

When can fickle be used instead of capricious?

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

Where would inconstant be a reasonable alternative to capricious?

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

When could mercurial be used to replace capricious?

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

made anxious by her boss's mercurial temperament

When might unstable be a better fit than capricious?

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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of capricious The ideal of individual self-expression is, moreover, offset by the relentless demands of audiences, advertisers, and capricious algorithms. Brooke Erin Duffy, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024 Hidden inside this frustrating, capricious, occasionally lazy start to the season is a significant sample size showing how good the Nuggets can be. Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2024 That guy knew a thing or two about being mildly capricious. Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2024 By contrast, capricious, unpredictable, and volatile leaders create anxiety, a walking-on-eggshells atmosphere where people are afraid to act or speak. Leon E. Moores, Md, Dsc, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for capricious 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for capricious
Adjective
  • But, looking at a slightly longer period, the increase in MMM stock over the last four-year period has been far from consistent, with annual returns being more volatile than the S&P 500.
    Trefis Team, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Trump has pledged to hand management of his assets to his children, but ethics experts have criticized his crypto ventures as raising conflict of interest issues and stoking speculation in a volatile asset class.
    Tom Westbrook, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • New York Jets League perception: This is seen as the toughest job because of an impulsive owner (Woody Johnson) and an unforgiving, relentless media market.
    Mike Sando, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Like humans, dogs who have been neglected or who have had some other major disruptive change to their environment can show impulsive aggression.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Aside from the ingenious creation of Moretti and his occasionally unpredictable behavior, the film fails at creating interesting characters, deploying suspense, and even delivering some cheap thrills.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 28 Jan. 2025
  • And is the finale as unpredictable as the footage leads us to believe?
    Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • But every character involved has a charmingly eccentric quirk—an eye patch, an obsession with drapes, an ever-present log, an affinity for doughnuts and cherry pie.
    Emma Stefansky, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2025
  • My entire childhood, I was surrounded by all of the beautiful, eccentric people who lived in this city.
    Allure Editors, Allure, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Hers is the kind of face that inspires directors to tight framing — gleaming, as if smoothed from marble, and yet somehow pliant, changeful.
    Jordan Kisner Jack Davison, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2022
  • Rigorous, blustery winter; winding sleety spring; hot, moist enervating summer; changeful autumn with its dog-days; these are absolutely unknown.
    San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Jan. 2023
Adjective
  • The police asked him about what appeared to be cuts on his right hand, and Mr. Cady gave inconsistent explanations, the authorities said.
    Simon J. Levien, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Normally, going back in time introduces all sorts of nasty paradoxes, like the infamous grandfather paradox, or, less violently, inconsistent histories.
    Paul Sutter, Space.com, 25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • But then he got trapped when the canyon became steep and unstable, park officials said.
    Helena Wegner, Sacramento Bee, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Park rangers at Death Valley National Park in California rescued a man who got stranded in a steep and unstable gully, the National Park Service said Sunday.
    Kierra Frazier, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Capricious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/capricious. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on capricious

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