capricious
Americanadjective
Related Words
See fickle.
Other Word Forms
- capriciously adverb
- capriciousness noun
- noncapricious adjective
- noncapriciously adverb
- uncapricious adjective
- uncapriciously adverb
Etymology
Origin of capricious
First recorded in 1585–95; from French capricieux, from Italian capriccioso capriccioso
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In its lawsuit, the company called the adjustments “arbitrary, capricious, or unreasonable.”
These actions, according to the lawsuit, were “ arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, not in accordance with law, and therefore invalid under the Administrative Procedure Act.”
From Salon
The deal, she said, likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act’s prohibition on government agencies from acting in an “arbitrary and capricious” manner, and didn’t comply with requirements in the Internal Revenue Code.
“The CFTC’s characterization of political contests, awards contests, and sporting events as forms of ‘gaming’ is arbitrary and capricious,” the letter said.
From Barron's
Instead, the narration jumps forward, flashes back and stalls, for brief periods, in the capricious memory of the narrator, John Dowell.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
