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capricious

American  
[kuh-prish-uhs, -pree-shuhs] / kəˈprɪʃ əs, -ˈpri ʃəs /

adjective

  1. subject to, led by, or indicative of a sudden, odd notion or unpredictable change; erratic.

    He's such a capricious boss I never know how he'll react.
    Synonyms:
    mercurial, flighty, variable
    Antonyms:
    consistent, constant, steady

  2. Obsolete. fanciful or witty.

capricious British  
/ kəˈprɪʃəs /

adjective

  1. characterized by or liable to sudden unpredictable changes in attitude or behaviour; impulsive; fickle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See fickle.

Other Word Forms

  • capriciously adverb
  • capriciousness noun
  • noncapricious adjective
  • noncapriciously adverb
  • uncapricious adjective
  • uncapriciously adverb

Etymology

Origin of capricious

First recorded in 1585–95; from French capricieux, from Italian capriccioso capriccioso

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.