fluctuation

American  

[fluhk-choo-ey-shuhn] / ˌflʌk tʃuˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

• fluctuations
  plural

1. continual change from one point or condition to another.

2. wavelike motion; undulation.

3. Genetics. a body variation due to environmental factors and not inherited.

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fluctuation British  

/ ˌflʌktjʊˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. constant change; vacillation; instability

2. undulation

3. a variation in an animal or plant that is determined by environment rather than heredity

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Usage

What does fluctuation mean? Fluctuation is continual change. It’s a noun form of the verb fluctuate, meaning to continually change or shift back and forth. Fluctuation is most commonly used in the context of abstract or intangible things that frequently change, such as temperature, the stock market, or someone’s mood. Example: The fluctuation of the volume on my TV is really annoying—it gets louder during commercials and then it gets quiet again when the show comes back on.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonfluctuation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fluctuations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fluctuation

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin fluctuātiōn- (stem of fluctuātiō ) a fluctuation, wavering. See fluctuate, -ion

Explanation

The noun fluctuation refers to the deviations along the path from one point to another. We see frequent fluctuations in the stock market, as prices go up or down, and also in the weather, which is always changing. The original form of the word fluctuation appeared as a mid-15th-century French word derived from the Latin fluctuationem, meaning "vacillation." The verb stem fluctuāre meant "to undulate," referring to waves, giving rise to the idea of change and movement that is at the heart of the word. It might help to remember that fluctuation has the same root as the word fluent, and to think of it as something flowing, with frequent change along the way.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fluctuation fluctuations

It may be too early to say whether this is a structural change or just the sort of cyclical fluctuation we sometimes see in manufacturing.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

An actuarial approach, dividing a portfolio by remaining life expectancy, can be used but introduces too much spending fluctuation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

Benjamin Boisson, a fruit grower in southern France, said worried the extreme fluctuation in temperature would cause a sharp drop in production, as well as complicate storage.

From Barron's ● May 26, 2026

Meanwhile, Umansky notes that the housing market has seen an increase in activity since the start of 2026, pointing to the beginning of spring as peak homebuying season and the fluctuation in interest rates.

From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026

Perhaps the universe is just a quantum fluctuation on a grand scale—an enormous singular particle that came into existence out of the ultimate vacuum.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

And those price fluctuations affect multiple areas of the ice-cream making process.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

The country is only using a fraction of the solar capacity it has deployed because it lacks enough battery storage to manage the fluctuations inherent in solar power, the Cuban energy minister said in April.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

It says the market is particularly sensitive to fluctuations as a result of heat waves and concern for winter supplies.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

These included material losses, differences in resonator quality, backscattering, coupling fluctuations, phase errors in the loop couplers, and thermal crosstalk.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

I’d never heard an animal bellow like that, with such fluctuations in tone and pitch.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Related Words

• variation