inconstant
Americanadjective
adjective
-
not constant; variable
-
fickle
Synonym Usage
See fickle.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inconstant
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin inconstant- (stem of inconstāns ) “changeable.” See in- 3, constant
Explanation
Anything that's inconstant changes all the time. Don’t give your heart to an inconstant friend because she might get distracted and drop it. The moon is inconstant, with all that waxing and waning, but we love it anyway. You can't exactly count on things — or people — that are inconstant, since they vary or waver so much. Someone who's inconstant is fickle or even undependable. An inconstant friend might promise to come to your party and then fail to show up because she suddenly felt like going bowling instead. When the weather is inconstant, you don’t know what to wear. The Latin root is inconstantem, "changeable or capricious."
Vocabulary lists containing inconstant
"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 4
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A Game of Thrones
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Changeable
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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.
“O, swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon / That monthly changes in her circle orb / Lest that thy love prove likewise variable,” Juliet warned Romeo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
I imagine that younger fans ardently connect Glinda and Elphaba's inconstant relationship to the ups and downs of their own.
From Salon ● Dec. 2, 2024
All around them, the Byzantine emperors saw inconstant allies and ferocious enemies.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
The cold, inconstant glimmer made Lyra feel uneasy.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2019
Cora spoke of her mother, Mabel, who absconded one day and left her to the inconstant mercy of the world.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
