Definition of caprice
1a : a sudden, impulsive, and seemingly unmotivated notion or action policy changes that seem to be motivated by nothing more than capriceb : a sudden usually unpredictable condition, change, or series of changes the caprices of the weather
2 : a disposition to do things impulsively a preference for democratic endeavor over authoritarian caprice
3 : capriccio 3
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Examples of caprice in a Sentence
… Montana's “Durum Triangle,” where the caprice of microclimates has led farmers to complain not of floods but of drought. —Florence Williams, New Republic, 16 Aug. 1999
But Castro has his army and his secret police and a reputation for ferocious caprice, and so he can make a whole people dance to his dementias. —Jack Beatty, Atlantic, January 1987
I'm allowing about ten days between here and the U.S.A. (that may be too much or too little, depending on the caprice of the Italian mails). —James Wright, letter, 28 May 1979
the caprices of the weather
Employees have complained of being at the mercy of the manager's every whim and caprice.
policy changes that seem to be motivated by nothing more than caprice
Recent Examples of caprice from the Web
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This might literally be the only Caprice that can turn on with the push of a button, but that doesn’t soften its growl.
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In fact, twice — once at the hands of their killers and again at the caprices of the ME [medical examiner].
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But a sense of the caprice of fate never left Milosz.
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But in a broader sense, this genus has a story spanning two continents and ten million years, populations of the dinosaur expanding and shrinking with the caprices of nature.
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Nature, with its cruelties and caprices, is more powerful than you.
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This is not just the story of Mozart and his starling, but a love letter to vulgarity, messiness, caprice and the beauty of things that don’t fit, don’t go where they are supposed to.
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And the way projects are given priority has less to do with real regional planning or economic good sense than with the caprices of government horse-trading and funding.
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Trump’s caprices are likely battering other, smaller economies, and thereby driving up uncertainty in other countries in ways that may not be reflected in just the U.S. numbers.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'caprice.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Synonym Discussion of caprice
CAPRICE Defined for English Language Learners
caprice
playDefinition of caprice for English Language Learners
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: a sudden change; especially : a sudden change in someone's mood or behavior
CAPRICE Defined for Kids
Learn More about caprice
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See words that rhyme with caprice Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for caprice Spanish Central: Translation of caprice Nglish: Translation of caprice for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of caprice for Arabic speakers
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