caprice

American  

[kuh-prees] / kəˈpris /

noun

1. a sudden, unpredictable change, as of one's mind or the weather.

   Synonyms:

   fancy, whim, notion, vagary

2. 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.

3. Music. capriccio.

---

caprice British  

/ kəˈpriːs /

noun

1. a sudden or unpredictable change of attitude, behaviour, etc; whim

2. a tendency to such changes

3. another word for capriccio

---

Etymology

Origin of caprice

First recorded in 1660–70; from French, from Italian; capriccio

Example Sentences

But we live now at the intersection of presidential instinct and personal caprice.

From The Wall Street Journal

There are plenty of times you don't want to be exposed to the individual prejudices and caprices of human beings.

From Salon

She relished the indomitable nature of our quirks and caprices, their capacity to survive even egregious catastrophe.

From Los Angeles Times

“Marie-Jeanne became a way to think about the private Fanon,” Shatz said, “his vanity and contradictions, his caprice and his warmth. I felt that through her I could offer a more humane portrait.”

From Los Angeles Times

They’re long accustomed to caprices of Mother Nature that can spoil an entire alfalfa cutting with a downpour or generate an especially big yield with a string of blistering days.

From Seattle Times