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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 Early spring weather in the South is fickle. Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2025 Markets are unpredictable, and coworkers can be fickle. Big Think, 1 Apr. 2025 Felines are famously fickle creatures, and giving them medication can be challenging for experienced and novice pet owners alike. Marina Pitofsky, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025 But until his future is secured beyond this year, and if uncertainty does seriously arise over Verstappen’s future, then F1’s fickle, unforgiving nature could pull focus away from those standout early displays. Luke Smith, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fickle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fickle
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
  • Their stories are full of danger: treacherous rivers, unforgiving terrain, and the constant threat of violence and exploitation.
    Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025
  • But in between lies a tense and treacherous journey…In Wolof and French with English subtitles.
    Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2025
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
  • As with most of his career as a conspiracist, RFK is tying together little kernels of truth into a false narrative and then framing it as just asking common-sense.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Much like a patient who fails to finish a course of antibiotics, inconstant policies may incur all the costs and none of the benefits.
    David Carlin, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
  • Much like a patient who fails to finish a course of antibiotics, inconstant policies may incur all the costs and none of the benefits.
    David Carlin, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fickle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fickle. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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