caprice

[ kuh-prees ]

noun

1. a sudden, unpredictable change, as of one's mind or the weather.

   Synonyms: fancy, whim, notion, vagary

2. a tendency to change one's mind without apparent or adequate motive; whimsicality; capriciousness:

   With the caprice of a despotic king, he alternated between kindness and cruelty.

3. Music. capriccio ( def 1 ).

caprice

/ kəˈpriːs /

noun

1. a sudden or unpredictable change of attitude, behaviour, etc; whim
2. a tendency to such changes
3. another word for capriccio

Word History and Origins

Origin of caprice¹

First recorded in 1660–70; from French, from Italian; capriccio

Word History and Origins

Origin of caprice¹

C17: from French, from Italian capriccio a shiver, caprice, from capo head + riccio hedgehog, suggesting a convulsive shudder in which the hair stood on end like a hedgehog's spines; meaning also influenced by Italian capra goat, by folk etymology

Example Sentences

She relished the indomitable nature of our quirks and caprices, their capacity to survive even egregious catastrophe.

From Los Angeles Times

“Marie-Jeanne became a way to think about the private Fanon,” Shatz said, “his vanity and contradictions, his caprice and his warmth. I felt that through her I could offer a more humane portrait.”

From Los Angeles Times

They’re long accustomed to caprices of Mother Nature that can spoil an entire alfalfa cutting with a downpour or generate an especially big yield with a string of blistering days.

From Seattle Times

It told the BBC that COP presidents are "expected to act without bias, prejudice, favouritism, caprice, self-interest, preference or deference, strictly based on sound, independent and fair judgement".

From BBC

It wasn’t “if” early America would fall back under tyranny, the lawless caprice of monarchy, but when.

From Salon