variable

[ vair-ee-uh-buhl ]

See synonyms for: variable variability variably on Thesaurus.com

adjective

apt or liable to vary or change; changeable: variable weather;variable moods.
capable of being varied or changed; alterable: a variable time limit for completion of a book.

inconstant; fickle: a variable lover.
having much variation or diversity.
Biology. deviating from the usual type, as a species or a specific character.
Astronomy. (of a star) changing in brightness.
Meteorology. (of wind) tending to change in direction.
Mathematics. having the nature or characteristics of a variable.

noun

something that may or does vary or change; a variable feature or factor.
Mathematics, Computers.
- a quantity or function that may assume any given value or set of values.
- a symbol that represents this.

Logic. (in the functional calculus) a symbol for an unspecified member of a class of things or statements.: Compare bound variable, free variable.
Astronomy. variable star.
Meteorology.
- a shifting wind, especially as distinguished from a trade wind.
- variables, doldrums (def. 2a).

Origin of variable

First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English, from Latin variābilis, equivalent to vari(us) “speckled, variegate, diverse” + -ābilis adjective suffix; see various, -able

Other words for variable

3	vacillating, wavering, fluctuating, unsteady, mercurial

See synonyms for variable on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for variable

1, 3

constant

See antonyms for variable on Thesaurus.com

Other words from variable

var·i·a·bil·i·ty [vair-ee-uh-bil-i-tee], /ˌvɛər i əˈbɪl ɪ ti/, var·i·a·ble·ness, noun
var·i·a·bly, adverb
hy·per·var·i·a·ble, adjective
hy·per·var·i·a·bly, adverb
non·var·i·a·ble, adjective
non·var·i·a·ble·ness, noun
non·var·i·a·bly, adverb
un·var·i·a·ble, adjective
un·var·i·a·ble·ness, noun
un·var·i·a·bly, adverb

Words that may be confused with variable

variable , variant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use variable in a sentence

This will give you much more success with whatever features might be built now or in the future because they are typically built around the idea that a dependent variable can be optimized.
Q&A: How marketers can keep pace in the DSP features race | Nexstar | November 12, 2020 | Digiday
But, like a choose-your-own-adventure game, the variables to this basic formula are endless.
How to make pan gravy with or without meat drippings | Daniela Galarza | November 11, 2020 | Washington Post
The virus’s highly variable incubation period, which can extend as long as 14 days, makes it risky to rely on a negative test result, Walensky said.
Thanksgiving advice for college students: If you’re going home, start preparing soon, experts say. | Allyson Chiu | October 29, 2020 | Washington Post
Infectious-disease experts say the future of the pandemic is not fixed, and human behavior is the key variable.
State and local leaders order new restrictions amid autumn’s coronavirus surge | Joel Achenbach, Karin Brulliard | October 29, 2020 | Washington Post
It’s seeking to raise base compensation for some of its more senior employees as much as 20% while reducing variable pay, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Deutsche Bank’s unlikely comeback continues as the lender delivers an earnings beat and signals a boost to bonuses | Bernhard Warner | October 28, 2020 | Fortune

These two women knew and loved and trusted each other without a shadow of doubt or variableness.
The Man Between | Amelia E. Barr
Is not that kind of variableness common to our poor human nature—independent of peacocks' feathers?
Mount Royal, Volume 2 of 3 | Mary Elizabeth Braddon
You are not solicitous about hours or days or months or years, the variableness of the weather or the change of seasons.
Curiosities of Christian History | Croake James
And a variable climate has, too, nothing to do with it, for what variableness could exceed an Alaska winter.
Wilderness, A Journal of Quiet Adventure in Alaska | Rockwell Kent
Perhaps the proximity or remoteness of their nests was the chief cause of this variableness in their behavior.
Birds of the Rockies | Leander Sylvester Keyser

British Dictionary definitions for variable

variable

/ (ˈvɛərɪəbəl) /

adjective

liable to or capable of change: variable weather
(of behaviour, opinions, emotions, etc) lacking constancy; fickle

maths having a range of possible values
(of a species, characteristic, etc) liable to deviate from the established type
(of a wind) varying its direction and intensity
(of an electrical component or device) designed so that a characteristic property, such as resistance, can be varied: variable capacitor

noun

something that is subject to variation
maths
- an expression that can be assigned any of a set of values
- a symbol, esp x, y, or z, representing an unspecified member of a class of objects, numbers, etc: See also dependent variable, independent variable

logic a symbol, esp x, y, z, representing any member of a class of entities
computing a named unit of storage that can be changed to any of a set of specified values during execution of a program
astronomy See variable star
a variable wind
(plural) a region where variable winds occur

Origin of variable

C14: from Latin variābilis changeable, from variāre to diversify

Derived forms of variable

variability or variableness, noun
variably, adverb

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

Scientific definitions for variable

variable

[ vâr′ē-ə-bəl ]

A mathematical quantity capable of assuming any of a set of values, such as x in the expression 3x + 2.
A factor or condition that is subject to change, especially one that is allowed to change in a scientific experiment to test a hypothesis. See more at control.

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