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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of caprice
First recorded in 1660–70; from French, from Italian; see 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.
See Examples For:
Their caprice is not divine mystery; it is bald fact.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
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
One theatergoer’s mindless fluff is another theatergoer’s inspired caprice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2023
Blue-lipped and dinner-plate-eyed, they watched, mesmerized by something that they sensed but didn’t understand: the absence of caprice in what the policemen did.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
There are plenty of times you don't want to be exposed to the individual prejudices and caprices of human beings.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2025
She relished the indomitable nature of our quirks and caprices, their capacity to survive even egregious catastrophe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2024
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 ● Nov. 27, 2023
The sculpture made manifest just how closely his work has become lashed to the caprices of global capital.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2021
He had had a long experience regarding her changing caprices; he never disputed them.
From Horace Chase by Woolson, Constance Fenimore
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.
