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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective inconstant differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of inconstant are capricious, fickle, mercurial, and unstable. While all these words mean "lacking firmness or steadiness (as in purpose or devotion)," inconstant implies an incapacity for steadiness and an inherent tendency to change.

an inconstant friend

When could capricious be used to replace inconstant?

The meanings of capricious and inconstant largely overlap; however, capricious suggests motivation by sudden whim or fancy and stresses unpredictability.

an utterly capricious critic

Where would fickle be a reasonable alternative to inconstant?

While in some cases nearly identical to inconstant, fickle suggests unreliability because of perverse changeability and incapacity for steadfastness.

performers discover how fickle fans can be

When can mercurial be used instead of inconstant?

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

made anxious by her boss's mercurial temperament

When would unstable be a good substitute for inconstant?

The words unstable and inconstant can be used in similar contexts, 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

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 inconstant That’s the one constant in this inconstant series. Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2022 Oedipus and the Riddle Quadruped in the dawn, erect at noon, and wandering on three legs across the blind spaces of afternoon; so the eternal Sphinx saw her inconstant brother, Man. Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 19 Aug. 2011 The moon is earth’s closest, albeit inconstant, companion. Korey Haynes, Discover Magazine, 11 June 2019 West Virginia has fielded some of the Big 12′s toughest defenses under Neal Brown, but is still one game under .500 since 2019 because of inconstant offense. Dallas News, 13 July 2022 See all Example Sentences for inconstant 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inconstant
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
  • Stocks will likely be volatile as more details on potential tariffs are released.
    Fred Imbert, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Guinevere, usually relegated to the thankless role of traitorous wife, acts here as Arthur’s beloved confidante.
    Elizabeth Hand, Washington Post, 16 July 2024
  • And somewhere between them on the war/peace continuum sit the men on Rhaenyra’s borderline traitorous council.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 30 June 2024
Adjective
  • Laws and norms govern their actions to a degree but the human element is unpredictable.
    Richard Bishop, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Their shifts are relatively short, four hours in the air followed by eight on the ground to try to recover, but the winds remain unpredictable and the flights incredibly intense.
    Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • One challenge of narrating Chinese American history is that little is documented and what records do exist are often unreliable.
    Jane Hu, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Ten inches fell in Orleans Parish on Feb. 14, 1895, NOAA says, but NWS says the record is unreliable.
    Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 21 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
  • Of note: Your Content must not be false, defamatory, misleading or hateful, or infringe any copyright or any other third-party rights or otherwise be unlawful.
    New York Times, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
  • But instead of mounting a defense of free speech against a lawsuit and Trump’s accusations that the network said were false and completely without merit, Paramount is considering following the example of Disney and tech oligarchs who will line up at the inauguration like Mark Zuckerberg.
    Richard Lawler, The Verge, 18 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
Adjective
  • Moreover, the treacherous weather conditions also hampered efforts to fight the fires, as air crews were unable to operate due to strong gusts.
    Ned Kleiner, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
  • With a winter storm warning in effect and a mix of snow and ice falling in North Texas, roads in the Dallas-Fort Worth area could become treacherous around midday Thursday, Jan. 9, and into Friday.
    Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near inconstant

Cite this Entry

“Inconstant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inconstant. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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