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

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 fickle Four candidates vying for the post may either end with the first mayor making the grade in 28 years and being re-elected to a second term, or Waukegan voters continuing to be fickle and making another sitting mayor a one-term officeholder. —

Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2025 Fame is fickle, and no one knows this better than millennials. —

Alex Baia, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025 Hierarchies in girl world are fickle, but powerful. —

Ebony-Renee Baker, refinery29.com, 20 Dec. 2024 Venus in Pisces’ dreamy fantasies clash with the fickle and fact-checking energy of Jupiter in Gemini. —

Valerie Mesa, People.com, 14 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for fickle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fickle

Adjective

Dado Ruvic | Reuters Inflation worries, tariffs under the Trump administration and earnings season could continue to keep the stock market volatile and rattle investor sentiment.

— TipRanks.com Staff, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2025
With Earth's weather being altered in dangerous ways, the U.S. government turns to Cody to uncover the truth behind these volatile natural disasters.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 15 Feb. 2025