1
as in infidelity
lack of faithfulness especially to one's husband or wife
a wife who was long inured to the chronic inconstancy of her husband
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fluctuation
the frequent and usually sudden passing from one condition to another
the inconstancy of public opinion is such that today's hero may be tomorrow's punching bag
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inconstancy
Years of naval inconstancy with repair work drove Vigor Industrial—a once vibrant and growing maritime conglomerate—into the welcoming arms of hedge funds, which wasted no time in striping the company of value.
—
Craig Hooper, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
In the nineteen-nineties and two-thousands, as the center-left was evolving, the label was most effectively applied to those telegenic figures—Bill and Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, John Edwards—who were suspected of ideological inconstancy and of substituting polls for principles.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2022
But, in the hands of the Fleet Foxes, the pastoral feels less like a particular zone in time and more like a space in which to parse ideas of self-reliance, the inconstancy of love, the pain of intimacy, the fear of loss, the sting of betrayal, and the strange but urgent project of hope.
—Brandon Taylor, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2022
Here, Calabazas appears to be holding a toy windmill in one hand and, in the other, a miniature portrait of a woman, perhaps intended by Velázquez as a commentary on the inconstancy of love.
—Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2023
Due to his inconstancy and Angie’s growing attachment, their flimsy relationship operated on a timescale of eras coalescing into matters of historical record.
—Hannah Gold, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022
Over the past 20 years, the United States has undermined its own global leadership by inconstancy.
—Damon Linker, The Week, 9 June 2021
An acidic trickle of disenchantment, especially regarding Bellow’s inconstancy with women and family, runs through it.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2021
Magill’s recollection, recounted in Blum’s Morgenthau biography, captures a typical moment of presidential inconstancy.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2021
Craig Hooper, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
In the nineteen-nineties and two-thousands, as the center-left was evolving, the label was most effectively applied to those telegenic figures—Bill and Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, John Edwards—who were suspected of ideological inconstancy and of substituting polls for principles.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2022
But, in the hands of the Fleet Foxes, the pastoral feels less like a particular zone in time and more like a space in which to parse ideas of self-reliance, the inconstancy of love, the pain of intimacy, the fear of loss, the sting of betrayal, and the strange but urgent project of hope.
—Brandon Taylor, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2022
Here, Calabazas appears to be holding a toy windmill in one hand and, in the other, a miniature portrait of a woman, perhaps intended by Velázquez as a commentary on the inconstancy of love.
—Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2023
Due to his inconstancy and Angie’s growing attachment, their flimsy relationship operated on a timescale of eras coalescing into matters of historical record.
—Hannah Gold, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022
Over the past 20 years, the United States has undermined its own global leadership by inconstancy.
—Damon Linker, The Week, 9 June 2021
An acidic trickle of disenchantment, especially regarding Bellow’s inconstancy with women and family, runs through it.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2021
Magill’s recollection, recounted in Blum’s Morgenthau biography, captures a typical moment of presidential inconstancy.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inconstancy
Noun
-
Nader reportedly ended things due to suspecting Savchenko of infidelity.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Not this evil man blaming Tracy for his infidelity!—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
While last week's stock market selloff took its toll on the fortune of the world's richest, one man has been largely able to weather the fluctuations brought on by the Trump administration's trade policies.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
-
But by translating these fluctuations in brightness into fluctuations in acoustic frequencies, scientists can tune in to a star’s sound, learning important information about its age and its other traits.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
But Barbara was never cut out to be a housewife and Nick’s adultery was a devastating blow.—
Patti Callahan Henry,
People.com,
16 Mar. 2025
-
Texas law doesn't consider adultery to be a felony or misdemeanor.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American-Statesman,
9 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
This escapement delivers two direct impulses to the balance with each oscillation, ensuring efficiency and a 72-hour power reserve.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
-
For example, complex analysis is used to manipulate wavelets, or small oscillations in data.—
William Ross,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
But betrayals were happening inside their home, too.—
Kim Willis,
USA TODAY,
25 Mar. 2025
-
For many customers, these changes represent a fundamental betrayal of what made Southwest different.—
Roger Dooley,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Their internment was declared permissible under the Alien Enemies Act, a law that allowed the wartime detention and deportation of noncitizens of Japanese, German, and Italian ancestry without any evidence of disloyalty.—
Karen Ebel,
TIME,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Similarly, alienating a President seemingly intent on smashing anything approaching dissent or disloyalty is not a risk many Washington institutions are willing to take at the moment.—
Philip Elliott,
TIME,
12 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Jane’s fiercely unforgiving tone was adopted by militant Irish nationalists for whom the famine stood as the ultimate proof of English perfidy.—
Fintan O'Toole,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Those intrepid few who still clung to the belief that American perfidy shielded Duke’s players from true justice just had the rug pulled out from under them by Mangum herself.—
The Editors,
National Review,
17 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Inconstancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inconstancy. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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