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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 In short, fate’s distribution of long straws is wildly capricious. John Cassidy, New Yorker, 12 May 2025 Desperate to impress Ruby, Ava scrambles to get Deborah jokes for a desk bit, only for a capricious and vindictive Deborah to cancel the bit entirely and use the time to probe Ruby about embarrassing Ava stories on national television. Alison Herman, Variety, 9 May 2025 Because that would be a fairy-tale ending, and this is Gilead, brutal and capricious. Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 May 2025 While some countries offer streamlined security and passport control for parents with young children, American parents say the U.S. system remains cumbersome, capricious and highly stressful. Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for capricious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for capricious
Adjective
  • The Behavioral Finance Connection When the market’s volatile, fear drives behavior.
    Meredith Moore, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
  • The fire had to feel alive, volatile, and credible—a force the actors had to confront in real time.
    JP Mangalindan, Time, 4 June 2025
Adjective
  • Although bad things do happen to him, they are often caused by his own careless and impulsive nature.
    Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
  • Move slowly and be careful about impulsive ideas and actions.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • As federal environmental policy undergoes rapid and often unpredictable shifts through reversals, reinterpretations and sometimes outright dismantling, businesses are left navigating a compliance landscape that feels more like quicksand than solid ground.
    John F. McQuillan, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
  • John Daly and Tiger Woods share a legendary and unpredictable bond.
    Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 May 2025
Adjective
  • Plus this mischievous creature had a lot of eccentric friends.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2025
  • There are also new characters for guests to greet and learn their lore — an eccentric monster hunter and a talented musician who regales guests with songs and tales.
    Samantha Neely, USA Today, 23 May 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
  • Frustrated by long 311 hold times or inconsistent trash pickup?
    Melanie La Rocca, New York Daily News, 27 May 2025
  • This is at odds with the concept of getting the most out of every customer deal by wielding inconsistent discounts and surcharges when certain situations arise.
    Chris Mele, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
Adjective
  • Sitting places the glutes in a lengthened, inactive state that pushes the pelvis forward and puts the lower back at a painfully compressed, mechanical disadvantage, which in turn creates a posture that feels tight, stiff and unstable.
    Dana Santas, CNN Money, 30 May 2025
  • The mountain side of the glacier had been unstable since last week, when millions of pounds of rock debris fell onto the glacier surface, Davies said.
    Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 29 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Capricious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/capricious. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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