mutable

adjective

mu·​ta·​ble ˈmyü-tə-bəl 

1

: prone to change : inconstant

mutable opinions

2

a

: capable of change or of being changed

mutable laws

b

: capable of or liable to mutation

mutable vowels

a mutable gene

mutability

ˌmyü-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

mutably

ˈmyü-tə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• capricious
• changeable
• changeful
• fickle
• flickery
• fluctuating
• fluid
• inconsistent
• inconstant
• mercurial
• skittish
• temperamental
• uncertain
• unpredictable
• unsettled
• unstable
• unsteady
• variable
• volatile

Examples of mutable in a Sentence

the government's mutable economic policies

a politician with very mutable positions on all the issues

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike centralized clouds, where data shards are mutable, decentralized nodes make shards immutable and cryptographically secured, preventing unauthorized reconstruction. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025

The director’s observation of the mutable contracts between sisters, and even more so, fathers and daughters, is intensely affecting in a movie freighted with melancholy but also leavened by surprising notes of humor. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2025

Taken together, these new polices would create a more mutable type of citizenship, no longer rooted in birthplace, or in the arduous and lengthy task of proving one’s worth. —Patricia Lopez, Mercury News, 14 May 2025

While Denzel looks dashing in his more mutable palette of a blue suit jacket. —Aleah Wright, Essence, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin mutabilis, from mutare to change; akin to Old English mīthan to conceal, Sanskrit mināti he exchanges, deceives

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mutable

• computable
• disputable
• immutable
• imputable
• inscrutable
• unsuitable
• executable
• indisputable
• irrefutable
• substitutable
• suitable

Kids Definition

mutable

adjective

mu·​ta·​ble ˈmyüt-ə-bəl 

1

: likely to change often : inconstant

2

a

: capable of change

b

: able or likely to mutate

mutability

ˌmyüt-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

Medical Definition

mutable

adjective

mu·​ta·​ble ˈmyüt-ə-bəl 

1

: capable of change or of being changed in form, quality, or nature

2

: capable of or liable to mutation