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).

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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

SYNONYMS FOR variable

3 vacillating, wavering, fluctuating, unsteady, mercurial.

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ANTONYMS FOR variable

1, 3 constant.

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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, nounvar·i·a·bly, adverbhy·per·var·i·a·ble, adjectivehy·per·var·i·a·bly, adverb

non·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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH variable

variable , variant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for variable

Overall, the researchers did not find a connection between the decrease in average body temperature and any individual variable or combination of variables.
Bolivia’s Tsimane people’s average body temperature fell half a degree in 16 years|Sujata Gupta|November 13, 2020|Science News
This is especially problematic for neuroscience, where the variables—an animal’s neurons and the environment outside its brain—number in the billions.
Are We Wired to Be Outside? - Issue 92: Frontiers|Grigori Guitchounts|November 11, 2020|Nautilus
The pandemic is, of course, the first variable that comes to mind.
There’s no such thing as home-field advantage in the NFL this season|Neil Greenberg|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
These maps, Jain said, entail something akin to a polynomial calculating machine connected to a system of secret lockers containing the values of the variables.
Computer Scientists Achieve ‘Crown Jewel’ of Cryptography|Erica Klarreich|November 10, 2020|Quanta Magazine

Those early calculations of the universe’s expansion, however, had been based on distance measurements relying on Cepheid variable stars.
These are science’s Top 10 erroneous results|Tom Siegfried|November 10, 2020|Science News
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 variable

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 of variable

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

Medical definitions for variable

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.

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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adjective

noun

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MEANINGS

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WORD OF THE DAY

variable

adjective

noun

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Origin of variable

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British Dictionary definitions for variable

adjective

noun

Derived forms of variable

Word Origin for variable

Medical definitions for variable

adj.

n.

Scientific definitions for variable