variable

[ vair-ee-uh-buhl ]

/ ˈvɛər i ə bəl /

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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).

Nearby words

vargueno, vari, vari-, varia, varia lectio, variable, variable annuity, variable contrast paper, variable cost, variable life insurance, variable region

Origin of variable

1350–1400; late Middle English < Latin variābilis, equivalent to vari(us) various + -ābilis -able

SYNONYMS FOR variable

3 vacillating, wavering, fluctuating, unsteady, mercurial.

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ANTONYMS FOR variable

1, 3 constant.

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Related forms

var·i·a·bil·i·ty, var·i·a·ble·ness, nounvar·i·a·bly, adverbhy·per·var·i·a·bil·i·ty, nounhy·per·var·i·a·ble, adjective

hy·per·var·i·a·bly, adverbnon·var·i·a·bil·i·ty, nounnon·var·i·a·ble, adjectivenon·var·i·a·ble·ness, nounnon·var·i·a·bly, adverbun·var·i·a·ble, adjectiveun·var·i·a·ble·ness, nounun·var·i·a·bly, adverb

Can be confused

boundary limit parameter variable (see synonym study at boundary) (see usage note at parameter)variable variant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for variably

A number of words have been variably hyphenated in the text.
The Skylark of Space|Edward Elmer Smith and Lee Hawkins Garby
The specimens that I have examined from Coahuila are variably intermediate between the subspecies aurifrons and incanescens.
Birds from Coahuila, Mexico|Emil K. Urban
The hybrid has a faint dark basicaudal spot that is variably developed in Rhinichthys but absent in Gila.
Five Natural Hybrid Combinations in Minnows (Cyprinidae)|Frank B. Cross
Greek Gods before they were sculptured would be conceived just as variably.
The Evolution of States|J. M. Robertson

Green, without coppery tints, but variably suffused with purple.
Bees from British Guiana|T. D. A. Cockerell

British Dictionary definitions for variably

variable

/ (ˈvɛərɪəbəl) /

adjective

liable to or capable of changevariable 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 variedvariable 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, etcSee 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

Derived Forms

variability or variableness, nounvariably, adverb

Word Origin for variable

C14: from Latin variābilis changeable, from variāre to diversify

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

Medicine definitions for variably

variable

[ vâr′ē-ə-bəl, văr′- ]

adj.

Likely to change or vary; subject to variation; changeable.

Tending to deviate, as from a normal or recognized type; aberrant.

Having no fixed quantitative value.

n.

Something that varies or that is prone to variation.

A quantity that is capable of assuming any of a set of values.

Science definitions for variably

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.

variable

adjective

noun

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of variable

SYNONYMS FOR variable

ANTONYMS FOR variable

Related forms

Can be confused

Examples from the Web for variably

British Dictionary definitions for variably

variable

adjective

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for variable

Medicine definitions for variably

variable

adj.

n.

Science definitions for variably

variable