fickle
[ fik-uhl ]
/ ˈfɪk əl /
adjective
likely to change, especially due to caprice, irresolution, or instability; casually changeable: fickle weather.
not constant or loyal in affections: a fickle lover.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
fichte, fichtean, fichtelgebirge, fichu, ficino, fickle, fickle-minded, fico, ficoll-hypaque technique, ficosis, fict.
Origin of fickle
before 1000; Middle English fikel, Old English ficol deceitful, akin to fācen treachery, fician to deceive, gefic deception
SYNONYMS FOR fickle
2 inconstant.
1, 2 Fickle, inconstant, capricious, vacillating describe persons or things that are not firm or steady in affection, behavior, opinion, or loyalty. Fickle implies an underlying perversity as a cause for the lack of stability: the fickle seasons, disappointing as often as they delight; once lionized, now rejected by a fickle public. Inconstant suggests an innate disposition to change: an inconstant lover, flitting from affair to affair. Capricious implies unpredictable changeability arising from sudden whim: a capricious administration constantly and inexplicably changing its signals; a capricious and astounding reversal of position. Vacillating means changeable due to lack of resolution or firmness: an indecisive, vacillating leader, apparently incapable of a sustained course of action.
Related forms
fick·le·ness, nounun·fick·le, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for fickle
British Dictionary definitions for fickle
fickle
/ (ˈfɪkəl) /
adjective
changeable in purpose, affections, etc; capricious
Derived Forms
fickleness, nounWord Origin for fickle
Old English ficol deceitful; related to fician to wheedle, befician to deceive
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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