fluctuation

[ fluhk-choo-ey-shuhn ]

noun

1. continual change from one point or condition to another.
2. wavelike motion; undulation.
3. Genetics. a body variation due to environmental factors and not inherited.

Other Words From

• nonfluc·tu·ation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fluctuation¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin fluctuātiōn- (stem of fluctuātiō ) a fluctuation, wavering. See fluctuate, -ion

Example Sentences

The ONS cautioned that the previous year – up to June 2023 – included periods of Covid restrictions, so it was too early to tell if the change represents a short-term fluctuation or the start of a new trend.

From BBC

Instead, they improvise, leading to jacaranda flower fluctuation on the calendar and block-by-block across Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

An analysis showed codas delivered close in time shared similar shifts in tempo, supporting the idea that it was a gradual fluctuation, rather than chance.

From Science Magazine

An important caveat on that YouGov data: Because YouGov didn’t provide information on the statistical significance of the change, that rise could be a random fluctuation, rather than a real trend.

From Slate

Detailed in Nature Communications, this theoretical framework uses the power of stochastic differential equations to observe the fluctuation of data points, or nodes, and then determine which should be used to calculate an early warning signal.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• variation