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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

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 inconstant Energy experts have been warning that electricity is likely to get more expensive and less reliable unless renewable power that waxes and wanes under inconstant sunlight and wind is backed up by generators that can run whenever needed. IEEE Spectrum, 9 May 2024 In March, Johnson ordered the first national lockdown, caught COVID, and later spent three nights in the I.C.U. For months, the country staggered from one set of restrictions to the next—a reflection of Johnson’s inconstant attitude toward the virus. Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024 Song as a different kind of time, as heroin became her own inconstant clock. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 Turgenev was also indecisive, inconstant, maybe even a bit unreliable. Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2022 See All Example Sentences for inconstant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inconstant
Adjective
  • But her life is unexpectedly upended by the arrival of a new student in her class: her charming but volatile younger brother Merritt.
    Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2025
  • In volatile markets, that can be the difference between burning capital and building advantage.
    Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Foreign military interventions can change victims from being viewed as a nuisance into being seen as powerful and traitorous enemies, potentially capable of exacting revenge, seizing power, or breaking away from the state.
    Benjamin A. Valentino, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2011
  • But what will their first move as a traitorous duo be?
    Tom Smyth, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Fittingly, given the unpredictable nature of the campaign, who knows what the result or circumstances will be at Tottenham Hotspur on the day Hurzeler’s first season draws to a close?
    Andy Naylor, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Zoom out: Trump's trade policy is unpredictable, with tariffs being set and changed constantly.
    Felix Salmon, Axios, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • All such theories, however, have appeared to be unreliable and speculative since any first strikes would have to contend with the risk of an enemy launch on warning as well as sufficient systems surviving for a devastating riposte.
    Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Some customers worry Crusoe’s cloud system is unreliable.
    Christopher Helman, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 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
  • But the jitters still shook him, a false-start whistle blowing on his first 40-yard attempt at February’s NFL combine.
    Luca Evans, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2025
  • Sanchez and her co-conspirators created false documents for the victims, including Permanent Residence cards and Social Security cards, and helped the victims find employment in the Hartford area.
    Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But the reality is that everyone feels the heat when life is unstable—even therapists.
    Korin Miller, SELF, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Finally, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act says that schools must enroll and educate students who are with unstable living situations, including migrants, without discrimination.
    Brian Boggs, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The match ended when Heyman turned on both Punk and Reigns with a pair of treacherous low blows on each.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
  • In February, Star residents and City Council members clashed over competing needs for a new school and improvements to a treacherous road, with the school proposal winning out.
    Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 16 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Inconstant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inconstant. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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