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| Main Entry: |
variable
 [vair-ee-uh-buhl] 
|
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | changing, changeable |
| Synonyms: | capricious, changeful, fickle, fitful, flexible, fluctuating, fluid, iffy, inconstant, irregular, mercurial, mobile, mutable, protean, shifting, shifty, slippery*, spasmodic, temperamental, ticklish, uncertain, unequable, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, vacillating, volatile, waffling, wavering, yo-yo |
| Antonyms: | invariable, unchangeable, unchanging, unvarying |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | capricious |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | given to sudden behavior change |
| Synonyms: | any way the wind blows, arbitrary, blowing hot and cold, careless, changeful, contrary, crotchety, effervescent, erratic, every which way, fanciful, fickle, fitful, flaky*, flighty, freakish, gaga, helter-skelter, humorsome, impulsive, inconstant, kinky*, lubricious, mercurial, moody, mutable, notional, odd, picky*, punchy, queer, quirky, temperamental, ticklish, unpredictable, unreasonable, unstable, up and down, vagarious, variable, volatile, wayward, whimsical, yo-yo |
| Antonyms: | constant, dependable, sensible, staid, steadfast, steady |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | changeable |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | erratic |
| Synonyms: | agitated, capricious, changeful, commutative, convertible, fickle, fitful, flighty, fluctuating, fluid, impulsive, inconstant, indecisive, irregular, irresolute, irresponsible, kaleidoscopic, mercurial, mobile, movable, mutable, permutable, protean, restless, reversible, revocable, shifting, skittish, spasmodic, transformable, transitional, uncertain, unpredictable, unreliable, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, vacillating, vagrant, variable, variant, varying, versatile, volatile, wavering, whimsical |
| Antonyms: | certain, changeless, constant, fixed, lasting, reliable, stable, steady, sure, unchangeable, undeviating |
Example Sentences
- These cylindrical clouds have variable lifetimes and water concentrations depending on environmental conditions.
- Dogged by dullness and variable quality, they have been losing money for years.
- If you choose to conduct your own research, you will need to control for age, which is an active intermediate variable.
| Main Entry: | elastic |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | adaptable, tolerant |
| Synonyms: | accommodating, adjustable, airy, animated, bouncy, buoyant, complaisant, compliant, ebullient, effervescent, expansive, flexible, gay, high-spirited, lively, recuperative, resilient, soaring, spirited, sprightly, supple, variable, vivacious, volatile, yielding |
| Antonyms: | difficult, inflexible, intolerant, unadaptable, ungiving |
| Main Entry: | erratic |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | unpredictable; wandering |
| Synonyms: | aberrant, abnormal, anomalous, arbitrary, bizarre, capricious, changeable, desultory, devious, dicey, directionless, dubious, eccentric, fitful, flaky*, fluctuant, idiosyncratic, iffy, incalculable, inconsistent, inconstant, irregular, meandering, mercurial, nomadic, oddball, peculiar, planetary, rambling, roving, shifting, spasmodic, strange, stray, uncertain, undirected, unnatural, unreliable, unstable, unusual, vagarious, variable, volatile, wayward, weird, whimsical |
| Antonyms: | certain, consistent, definite, dependable, predictable, regular, reliable, steady, sure, unchanging |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | fickle |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | vacillating, blowing hot and cold |
| Synonyms: | arbitrary, capricious, changeable, cheating, coquettish, double-crossing, faithless, fitful, flighty, frivolous, inconstant, irresolute, lubricious, mercurial, mutable, quicksilver, sneaking, temperamental, ticklish, two-timing, unfaithful, unpredictable, unstable, unsteady, untrue, variable, volatile, whimsical, yo-yo |
| Antonyms: | aware, cognizant, constant, faithful, reliable, stable, steady |
| Main Entry: | fitful |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | irregular, sporadic |
| Synonyms: | bits and pieces, broken, capricious, catchy*, changeable, desultory, disturbed, erratic, flickering, fluctuating, haphazard, herky-jerky, hit-or-miss, impulsive, inconstant, intermittent, interrupted, on-again-off-again, periodic, random, recurrent, restive, restless, shifting, spasmodic, spastic, spotty, unstable, variable |
| Antonyms: | constant, continuous, even, regular, undisturbed, unvarying |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | flexible |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | adaptable, responsive |
| Synonyms: | acquiescent, adjustable, amenable, biddable, complaisant, compliant, discretionary, docile, gentle, going every which way, hanging loose, like putty in hands, manageable, open, rolling with punches, tractable, variable |
| Antonyms: | inflexible, obstinate, ornery, stern, stubborn, unaccommodating, unadaptable, unresponsive, unyielding |
| Main Entry: | fluid |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | adaptable, changeable |
| Synonyms: | adjustable, changeful, flexible, floating, fluctuating, indefinite, malleable, mercurial, mobile, mutable, protean, shifting, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, variable |
| Notes: | fluids include liquids and gases; a liquid is a fluid with a fixed volume, and a gas is a fluid that can expand indefinitely liquid is a substance that flows and takes on the form of its container; a fluid - substance with no fixed shape and yields easily to external pressure - can be a liquid but it can also be a gas |
| Antonyms: | inflexible, stable, unchangeable |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
