FICKLE Synonyms: 124 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'fickle' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of fickle are capricious , inconstant , mercurial , and unstable . While all these words mean "lacking firmness or steadiness (as in purpose or devotion)," fickle suggests unreliability because of perverse changeability and incapacity for steadfastness. // performers discover how fickle fans can be

Q: In what contexts can 'capricious' take the place of 'fickle'?

In some situations, the words capricious and fickle are roughly equivalent. However, capricious suggests motivation by sudden whim or fancy and stresses unpredictability. // an utterly capricious critic

Q: When could 'inconstant' be used to replace 'fickle'?

The meanings of inconstant and fickle largely overlap; however, inconstant implies an incapacity for steadiness and an inherent tendency to change. // an inconstant friend

Q: When is 'mercurial' a more appropriate choice than 'fickle'?

While the synonyms mercurial and fickle are close in meaning, mercurial implies a rapid changeability in mood. // made anxious by her boss's mercurial temperament

Q: When might 'unstable' be a better fit than 'fickle'?

The synonyms unstable and fickle are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

fickle

adjective

ˈfi-kəl

Definition of fickle next

as in volatile

likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly a fickle friendship that was on and off over the years

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in traitorous

not true in one's allegiance to someone or something when the family's fortune disappeared, so did their fickle friends

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective fickle differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of fickle are capricious, inconstant, mercurial, and unstable. While all these words mean "lacking firmness or steadiness (as in purpose or devotion)," fickle suggests unreliability because of perverse changeability and incapacity for steadfastness.

performers discover how fickle fans can be

In what contexts can capricious take the place of fickle?

In some situations, the words capricious and fickle are roughly equivalent. However, capricious suggests motivation by sudden whim or fancy and stresses unpredictability.

an utterly capricious critic

When could inconstant be used to replace fickle?

The meanings of inconstant and fickle largely overlap; however, inconstant implies an incapacity for steadiness and an inherent tendency to change.

an inconstant friend

When is mercurial a more appropriate choice than fickle?

While the synonyms mercurial and fickle are close in meaning, mercurial implies a rapid changeability in mood.

made anxious by her boss's mercurial temperament

When might unstable be a better fit than fickle?

The synonyms unstable and fickle are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

Examples Sentences

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Recent Examples of fickle But, as those who have seen the musical know, the book's fickle nature with regard to intention vs. outcome comes back to haunt Elphaba a number of other times before the story's emotional end. —

Megan McCluskey, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024 Attracting and appealing to fickle audiences who have been trained to expect media venues to provide them not just with information but self-affirmation is only part of the problem afflicting the industry. —

Noah Rothman, National Review, 20 Nov. 2024 The market is heading into the Golden Week period and is quite fickle. —

Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2024 Their affinity for beauty, however, usually leads them to become fickle in their relationships, as they are innately drawn to the next captivating experience or intriguing situationship. —

Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 24 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fickle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fickle

Adjective

Egg prices, which have been volatile for more than two years, in part because of outbreaks of bird flu, soared 8.2% just last month.

COMPILED BYDEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFFFROM WIRE REPORTS, arkansasonline.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Still, food price growth is notoriously volatile and many factors that determine costs are often outside the government's control.

Rob Wile, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2024