caprice
Americannoun
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a sudden, unpredictable change, as of one's mind or the weather.
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a tendency to change one's mind without apparent or adequate motive; whimsicality; capriciousness.
With the caprice of a despotic king, he alternated between kindness and cruelty.
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Music. capriccio.
noun
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a sudden or unpredictable change of attitude, behaviour, etc; whim
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a tendency to such changes
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another word for capriccio
Etymology
Origin of caprice
First recorded in 1660–70; from French, from Italian; capriccio
Explanation
On a whim, he sold everything and left the city for the beautiful wilderness of Alaska, but his act of caprice felt a lot less whimsical when he realized how freezing cold Alaska is. The word caprice has its roots in the French for "whim," which comes from the Italian word capriccio for "fright" or "sudden start." A caprice can be just a fun impulsive act, but it also can be something done on a quick whim, without thinking it through or preparing for the change in direction. Having a sudden liking, or caprice, for someone or something can be short-lived too.
Vocabulary lists containing caprice
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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.
But we live now at the intersection of presidential instinct and personal caprice.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025
It told the BBC that COP presidents are "expected to act without bias, prejudice, favouritism, caprice, self-interest, preference or deference, strictly based on sound, independent and fair judgement".
From BBC • Nov. 27, 2023
It wasn’t “if” early America would fall back under tyranny, the lawless caprice of monarchy, but when.
From Salon • Nov. 24, 2023
But to mitigate the enormous disruption, the transition cannot be left entirely to the caprice of employers.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2023
One newspaper editor had sagely, if cynically, observed that “the usual custom is for the capital of new empires to be selected by the whim or caprice of a despot.”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
