variant

[vair-ee-uhnt]

adjective

1. tending to change or alter; exhibiting variety or diversity; varying.

   variant shades of color.

2. not agreeing or conforming; differing, especially from something of the same general kind.

3. not definitive, as a version of part of a text; different; alternative.

   a variant reading.

4. not universally accepted.

noun

1. a person or thing that varies.

2. a different spelling, pronunciation, or form of the same word.

   “Vehemency” is a variant of “vehemence.”

3. Microbiology, Pathology.,  a form of a virus, bacterium, or other microorganism that arises from a strain of the microorganism when a mutation changes a small part of the strain’s genetic code.

variant

/ ˈvɛərɪənt /

adjective

1. liable to or displaying variation

2. differing from a standard or type

   a variant spelling

3. obsolete,  not constant; fickle

noun

1. something that differs from a standard or type

2. statistics another word for variate

Other Word Forms

• nonvariant adjective
• unvariant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of variant¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English variaunt(e), variant(e) “undergoing change, tending to change, changeable,” from Old French, from Latin variant-, stem of variāns, present participle of variāre “to mark or adorn with different colors”; various; -ant

Word History and Origins

Origin of variant¹

C14: via Old French from Latin variāns, from variāre to diversify, from varius _various

Example Sentences

Another, as new variants Stratus and Nimbus spike this winter, is a "razor-sharp" sore throat.

From BBC

XFG, called Stratus by some, and NB.1.8.1, known as Nimbus, are now the most common variants being passed around in the UK, according to officials.

From BBC

Four photos from a courtroom appearance she made in August embellish that variant.

From Los Angeles Times

This is especially so for "cheaper variants", he said, where price sensitivity is the highest.

From BBC

The rich man in “If I Were a Rich Man” was translated as a variant of Rothschild, the name of a well-known European Jewish banking dynasty.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• modification 
• variation