variability

American  

[vair-ee-uh-bil-i-tee] / ˌvɛər i əˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• hypervariability noun
• nonvariability noun

Etymology

Origin of variability

variable ( def. ) + -ity ( def. )

Example Sentences

Both bots identified dips in my heart-rate variability data and an increase in resting heart rate from my smartwatch, which could indicate my body has been fighting an illness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Cost of living is often hard to measure given the variability in how households choose to spend their money, Reid said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

FSE has called on Fifa to abandon dynamic pricing - variability based on demand - and freeze prices for the April release of tickets.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

The research paper, 'Effect of nighttime bedroom temperature on heart rate variability in older adults: an observational study', has been published in BMC Medicine.

From Science Daily • Feb. 11, 2026

Traditional restaurants generally provide a product of higher average quality but of much greater variability, especially on the downward side.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Related Words

• anxiety
• fluctuation
• insecurity
• uncertainty
• volatility
• vulnerability
• weakness