fluctuation

American  

[fluhk-choo-ey-shuhn] / ˌflʌk tʃuˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

• fluctuations
  plural

1. continual change from one point or condition to another.

2. wavelike motion; undulation.

3. Genetics. a body variation due to environmental factors and not inherited.

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fluctuation British  

/ ˌflʌktjʊˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. constant change; vacillation; instability

2. undulation

3. a variation in an animal or plant that is determined by environment rather than heredity

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Usage

What does fluctuation mean? Fluctuation is continual change. It’s a noun form of the verb fluctuate, meaning to continually change or shift back and forth. Fluctuation is most commonly used in the context of abstract or intangible things that frequently change, such as temperature, the stock market, or someone’s mood. Example: The fluctuation of the volume on my TV is really annoying—it gets louder during commercials and then it gets quiet again when the show comes back on.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonfluctuation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fluctuations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fluctuation

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin fluctuātiōn- (stem of fluctuātiō ) a fluctuation, wavering. See fluctuate, -ion

Explanation

The noun fluctuation refers to the deviations along the path from one point to another. We see frequent fluctuations in the stock market, as prices go up or down, and also in the weather, which is always changing. The original form of the word fluctuation appeared as a mid-15th-century French word derived from the Latin fluctuationem, meaning "vacillation." The verb stem fluctuāre meant "to undulate," referring to waves, giving rise to the idea of change and movement that is at the heart of the word. It might help to remember that fluctuation has the same root as the word fluent, and to think of it as something flowing, with frequent change along the way.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fluctuation fluctuations

They do not predict every short-term fluctuation perfectly, but they help scientists evaluate long-term climate patterns and possible future changes.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

Finally, the El Nino event, a natural climate fluctuation that warms temperatures and leads to changes in wind patterns, is proving stronger than expected this year.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

It may be too early to say whether this is a structural change or just the sort of cyclical fluctuation we sometimes see in manufacturing.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

If you hold a bond until maturity, you won’t be affected by this price fluctuation — you know you will receive the bond’s face value at maturity.

From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026

And Pomp, hearing of change, mentioned his experiments in the fluctuation of swamp-water in ditches, which he hath conducted in his idleness, but which speculations would do honor to one of our academicians.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

“It has had a very successful run, a high rate of growth, it’s not as subject to the fluctuations of the business cycle as maybe other things are.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

And those price fluctuations affect multiple areas of the ice-cream making process.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Other black holes may have formed soon after the bounce because density fluctuations were amplified.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

Versant executives said in May they expected quarterly fluctuations driven by content licensing, working capital and higher programming costs in the second half of the year, which were reflected in the full-year guidance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

The simulation is using her vocal cords, but robs them of the natural fluctuations of human emotion.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

Related Words

• variation