See more synonyms for variant on Thesaurus.com- tending to change or alter; exhibiting variety or diversity; varying: variant shades of color.
- not agreeing or conforming; differing, especially from something of the same general kind.
- not definitive, as a version of part of a text; different; alternative: a variant reading.
- not universally accepted.
- a person or thing that varies.
- a different spelling, pronunciation, or form of the same word: “Vehemency” is a variant of “vehemence.”
Origin of variant
1325–75; Middle English <
Latin variant-, stem of
variāns, present participle of
variāre to
vary; see
-ant Related formsnon·var·i·ant, adjective, nounun·var·i·ant, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for variant
modification,
variation,
alternative,
development,
exception,
version,
result,
branch,
irregularity,
divergent,
exceptional,
modified,
various,
varying,
derived,
differing,
spinoff
Examples from the Web for variant
Contemporary Examples of variant
All of these will end with some variant of the following: Ms. Pembreteaux laughed, then shrugged.
If these books are indeed Great American Novels—a distinct category, a variant of excellence—they are generally big in every way.
The variant of malaria prevalent in Northern malarial zones like the Po Valley was enfeebling, but not lethal.
These were the expensive Austrian variant: the sleek silver-and-blue cans that cost roughly $1.50 each.
The Dutch variant appeared in 2010 on the VPRO website – a self-described liberal-Protestant network.
Historical Examples of variant
A Prime can be negated, while on the other hand a variant can shift from possible to Logical to Prime.
The Italian and German techniques were often pursued in variant styles.
But fortune is so variant, and the wheel so movable, there is no constant abiding.
In the variant of the story in No. 38, the comrades are the hero Martin, a smith, and a tailor.
The variant spellings of Bulloign, Bulloigne and Bullogne have been retained.
British Dictionary definitions for variant- liable to or displaying variation
- differing from a standard or typea variant spelling
- obsolete not constant; fickle
- something that differs from a standard or type
- statistics another word for variate (def. 1)
Word Origin for variant
C14: via Old French from Latin variāns, from variāre to diversify, from varius various
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
Word Origin and History for variantadj.late 14c., from Old French variant, from Latin variantem (nominative varians), present participle of variare "to change" (see vary).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
variant
[vâr′ē-ənt, văr′-]
- Having or exhibiting variation; differing.
- Tending or liable to vary; variable.
- Deviating from a standard, usually by only a slight difference.
- Something that differs in form only slightly from something else.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
