fickle

adjective

ˈfi-kəl How to pronounce fickle (audio)
Definition of ficklenext
1
as in volatile
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly a fickle friendship that was on and off over the years

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in traitorous
not true in one's allegiance to someone or something when the family's fortune disappeared, so did their fickle friends

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective fickle differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of fickle are capricious, inconstant, mercurial, and unstable. While all these words mean "lacking firmness or steadiness (as in purpose or devotion)," fickle suggests unreliability because of perverse changeability and incapacity for steadfastness.

performers discover how fickle fans can be

In what contexts can capricious take the place of fickle?

In some situations, the words capricious and fickle are roughly equivalent. However, capricious suggests motivation by sudden whim or fancy and stresses unpredictability.

an utterly capricious critic

When could inconstant be used to replace fickle?

The meanings of inconstant and fickle largely overlap; however, inconstant implies an incapacity for steadiness and an inherent tendency to change.

an inconstant friend

When is mercurial a more appropriate choice than fickle?

While the synonyms mercurial and fickle are close in meaning, mercurial implies a rapid changeability in mood.

made anxious by her boss's mercurial temperament

When might unstable be a better fit than fickle?

The synonyms unstable and fickle are sometimes interchangeable, but unstable implies an incapacity for remaining in a fixed position or steady course and applies especially to a lack of emotional balance.

too unstable to hold a job

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fickle His tenure there was ultimately torpedoed by the fickle durability of 2019 No. 1 pick Zion Williamson. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 May 2025 Extreme heat can be extremely stressful on the already fickle fruit trees. —Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 26 June 2025 States that could see auroras tonight: Alaska Montana North Dakota Minnesota South Dakota Michigan (Upper Peninsula) Wisconsin Maine Idaho Washington Remember, auroras can be fickle. —Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 26 June 2025 The boxer was expected to star alongside Nick Nolte, Jim Caviezel, and Sean Penn, but had all of his scenes cut by the famously fickle director. —EW.com, 19 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for fickle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fickle
  1. volatile
  2. traitorous
  3. unpredictable
  4. unreliable
  5. treacherous
  6. false
  7. inconstant
Adjective
  • That matters for investors seeking capital preservation as equity and bond markets remain volatile.
    — Artem Milinchuk, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
  • But David’s volatile behavior, which includes smashing a glass coffee table to pieces in front of the other children, quickly turns them into unwelcome guests.
    — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2025
Definition of volatile
Adjective
  • Michael Fassbender plays a British intelligence officer tasked with finding who leaked a top-secret software program and betrayed their country, and the list of five potentially traitorous suspects includes his own high-profile wife (Cate Blanchett).
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 May 2025
  • Smith made out their former collaborators to be ungrateful and traitorous, and the kids weren't given the space to question her command.
    — Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Definition of traitorous
Adjective
  • Unlike cheaper rebounders that can feel stiff or unpredictable, this one stays sturdy and responsive.
    — Jordan Galloway, SELF, 15 July 2025
  • These days, the politics of nuclear arms have become more complicated and unpredictable.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
Definition of unpredictable
Adjective
  • While introducing a range of endearingly unreliable characters, the action rolls out a succession of comically absurd situations that provide laughs from the film’s beginning to its end.
    — Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
  • However, by 2024, this gimbal had grown unreliable due to age, and so the Climate Sounder now relies on the standard 28-degree rolls to make its observations.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 7 July 2025
Definition of unreliable
Adjective
  • At least three people were killed in the treacherous flood waters streaming through a mountain village in New Mexico, which also knocked an entire home from its foundations and then swept it away.
    — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 9 July 2025
  • The search has been complicated by treacherous terrain, and the fact that crews are looking for an Army veteran skilled in wilderness survival who had a three-day head start.
    — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 7 July 2025
Definition of treacherous
Adjective
  • His claims are false and do not reflect accountability for the impact of his actions on the community.
    — Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 3 July 2025
  • The City of Odessa, Texas, also said claims of a serial killer in the area were false in a Dec. 9 Facebook post.
    — Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 July 2025
Definition of false
Adjective
  • If the United States is an unreliable partner and a source of chaos these countries will turn elsewhere, building new security and trade alliances that don’t depend on the inconstant, waning superpower.
    — Lydia Polgreen, Mercury News, 27 May 2025
  • Much like a patient who fails to finish a course of antibiotics, inconstant policies may incur all the costs and none of the benefits.
    — David Carlin, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Definition of inconstant

Browse Nearby Words

fibs
fickle
fickleness
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Cite this Entry

“Fickle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fickle. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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