fluctuation
Americannoun
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fluctuations
plural
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continual change from one point or condition to another.
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wavelike motion; undulation.
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Genetics. a body variation due to environmental factors and not inherited.
noun
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constant change; vacillation; instability
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undulation
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a variation in an animal or plant that is determined by environment rather than heredity
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing fluctuation
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Content Summary 4.2: Columbian Exchange and Atlantic Slavery
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Eyes Wide Open
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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:
“Some prompt-level fluctuation is inherent to AI, and our testing shows this averages out across a high volume of real-world, diverse workloads,” said a Google spokeswoman in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
This fluctuation is due in part to Bitcoin having no intrinsic value: Like gold, it is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
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
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
The computer reported no change in pressure over that time, other than a minor fluctuation based on temperature.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
However, natural fluctuations cannot fully account for the persistent decline recorded by satellites since 1978.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
"The oscillation of this laser light can be used for timekeeping, but the laser frequency can shift slightly from time to time, for example due to temperature fluctuations," explains Thorsten Schumm.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
Despite these fluctuations, Musk has solidly established himself as the wealthiest person in the world, both now and compared to previous eras.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
With individual bonds, investors can generally look through those interim price fluctuations because they know the price the bonds will mature at, said Cooper Howard, director of fixed income research and strategy with Charles Schwab.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Countless similar oddities result from our conventional ways of measuring, reporting, and com paring periodic quantities, whether they be the monthly cash flow of a government or the regular daily fluctuations in body temperature.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
