variant

[ vair-ee-uhnt ]

adjective

1. tending to change or alter; exhibiting variety or diversity; varying:

   variant shades of color.

2. not agreeing or conforming; differing, especially from something of the same general kind.
3. not definitive, as a version of part of a text; different; alternative:

   a variant reading.

4. not universally accepted.

noun

1. a person or thing that varies.
2. a different spelling, pronunciation, or form of the same word:

   “Vehemency” is a variant of “vehemence.”

3. Microbiology, Pathology. a form of a virus, bacterium, or other microorganism that arises from a strain of the microorganism when a mutation changes a small part of the strain’s genetic code. Compare strain ²( def 5 ).

variant

/ ˈvɛərɪənt /

adjective

1. liable to or displaying variation
2. differing from a standard or type

   a variant spelling

3. obsolete.
   not constant; fickle

noun

1. something that differs from a standard or type
2. statistics another word for variate

Other Words From

• non·var·i·ant adjective noun
• un·var·i·ant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of variant¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English variaunt(e), variant(e) “undergoing change, tending to change, changeable,” from Old French, from Latin variant-, stem of variāns, present participle of variāre “to mark or adorn with different colors”; various; -ant

Word History and Origins

Origin of variant¹

C14: via Old French from Latin variāns, from variāre to diversify, from varius various

Example Sentences

The pocket is a variant of the American bully breed, which includes the larger and more muscular XL.

From BBC

However, this does not apply to the smaller pocket variant.

From BBC

All three patients were infected with the Clade 1b variant of the virus, which was first detected in central Africa and appears to transmit more easily between people.

From BBC

The possibility of a more contagious variant grows as flu season sets in.

From Salon

To launch the spacecraft, SpaceX employed its Falcon Heavy rocket, a variant of its Falcon 9 with an extra booster strapped to each side.

From Los Angeles Times