fluctuation

American  

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

noun

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

• nonfluctuation
  noun

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

Fluctuation like the Reign’s would dizzy and disrupt most players and fanbases.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 16, 2024

Fluctuation of precipitation and water usage further impact water quality, and rising water temperatures contribute to decreased dissolved oxygen, resulting in diminished water quality.

From Science Daily • Jan. 5, 2024

Fluctuation relations govern small systems subjected to strong forces and tell us about the work those forces perform.

From Scientific American • Apr. 20, 2020

Fluctuation of territorial boundaries is not uncommon in passerines, especially when no rivals exist to contest movement.

From Natural History of the Bell Vireo, Vireo bellii Audubon by Barlow, Jon C.

Another thing which put the People out of conceit with the Government, was the Fluctuation of Measures at the Royal Palace, where nothing was fix'd; and what was done one day, was cancell'd the next.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume III Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels from Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

Related Words

• variation