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Synonyms

vagarious

American  
[vuh-gair-ee-uhs] / vəˈgɛər i əs /

adjective

  1. characterized by vagaries; erratic; capricious.

    a vagarious foreign policy.

  2. roving; wandering.

    vagarious artists.
vagarious British  
/ vəˈɡɛərɪəs /

adjective

  1. rare characterized or caused by vagaries; irregular or erratic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of vagarious

First recorded in 1790–1800; vagary + -ous

Explanation

Some people are vagarious, always changing their mind about things or making snap decisions based on whim instead of reason or sound judgment. You never know what to expect from a vagarious person! Vagarious is an adjective related to the noun vagary, meaning "a random or unpredictable change." The root of both words is the Latin word vagari, meaning "wander." A person who wanders from a straightforward path is one who unexpectedly veers off on random side paths, ending up at destinations you couldn't foresee. It's the same way with someone who is vagarious in thought or behavior. Weather can be vagarious, too, and so can the economy. Both make planning difficult!

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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.