variability
Americannoun
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the quality of being subject to change, especially frequent, random, or short-term change: Ensuring effective cooperation in home care is difficult because of the variability of schedules and tasks of both patients and caregivers.
On a longer time scale, climate variability translates into shortages of food and water worldwide.
Ensuring effective cooperation in home care is difficult because of the variability of schedules and tasks of both patients and caregivers.
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the quality of including different kinds, or of being different from one case to the other; diversity.
Healthcare administrators noted the variability among nursing education programs and called for standardization.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of variability
Explanation
The weather in San Francisco is known for its variability. One minute it's summer and the next, winter. Variability means the tendency to shift or change — of being "variable." There are many words that contain vari-, and they almost all have to do with change or difference. Variability is the noun version of this idea. The variability of the weather means that you never know exactly what to wear. T-shirt or sweater: the choices vary along with the weather. Many things are known for their variability: the taste of teenagers, the talent of the singers on "American Idol," Frank Sinatra's moods. These are just some of the things that exhibit real variability.
Vocabulary lists containing variability
"The Origin of Species by Natural Selection" by Charles Darwin: Essential Words
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "T" "U" "V" and "W"
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Statistics and Probability - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The company said that while its long-term revenue growth expectations remain unchanged, the trajectory of its growth won’t be linear due to the variability of its business and timing of its investments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The researchers found significant variability in the advice and spotted some potential demographic biases.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
They may lighten the skull or influence voice resonance, and we can even use their size and variability for forensic identification.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
"So we're getting rid of that variability by making something that's across the board recognisable by your immune system that should cover you from all these eventualities ... a real big paradigm change," he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
And Samuel had not only variability but was a man of ideas and innovations.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
