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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective inconstant differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of inconstant are capricious, fickle, mercurial, and unstable. While all these words mean "lacking firmness or steadiness (as in purpose or devotion)," inconstant implies an incapacity for steadiness and an inherent tendency to change.

an inconstant friend

When could capricious be used to replace inconstant?

The meanings of capricious and inconstant largely overlap; however, capricious suggests motivation by sudden whim or fancy and stresses unpredictability.

an utterly capricious critic

Where would fickle be a reasonable alternative to inconstant?

While in some cases nearly identical to inconstant, fickle suggests unreliability because of perverse changeability and incapacity for steadfastness.

performers discover how fickle fans can be

When can mercurial be used instead of inconstant?

While the synonyms mercurial and inconstant are close in meaning, mercurial implies a rapid changeability in mood.

made anxious by her boss's mercurial temperament

When would unstable be a good substitute for inconstant?

The words unstable and inconstant can be used in similar contexts, but unstable implies an incapacity for remaining in a fixed position or steady course and applies especially to a lack of emotional balance.

too unstable to hold a job

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inconstant On paper, Bridget can be compellingly hard to pin down, inconstant and ironic, messily self-aware, undeniably human. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025 The key finding is that as the distance grows greater, the coupling stops growing, and the inconstant constant becomes constant once more. Stanley J. Brodsky, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024 Energy experts have been warning that electricity is likely to get more expensive and less reliable unless renewable power that waxes and wanes under inconstant sunlight and wind is backed up by generators that can run whenever needed. IEEE Spectrum, 9 May 2024 In March, Johnson ordered the first national lockdown, caught COVID, and later spent three nights in the I.C.U. For months, the country staggered from one set of restrictions to the next—a reflection of Johnson’s inconstant attitude toward the virus. Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024 See All Example Sentences for inconstant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inconstant
Adjective
  • Not too happy about the volatile nature of PLTR stock?
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 3.1%, up from 2.9% in June.
    Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Clarisse looks intimidating climbing out of a boat, as does Bushnell’s traitorous Luke, who wields a sharp-looking knife.
    Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 24 July 2025
  • There's a delicious whodunit aspect to it, too, as the list of five potentially traitorous suspects includes the operative's own high-profile wife (Cate Blanchett).
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 July 2025
Adjective
  • Enjoy the unpredictable and the unknown, which is where wonder and curiosity and adventure unfold.
    Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025
  • While some travelers visit family or business contacts, U.S. officials warn that conditions remain unpredictable and dangerous.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the statement described the pollster as unreliable, citing past inaccuracies.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Free parking eliminates a major logistical headache and financial burden, especially when downtown parking prices are high or public transit is unreliable.
    Gleb Tsipursky, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Hers is the kind of face that inspires directors to tight framing — gleaming, as if smoothed from marble, and yet somehow pliant, changeful.
    Jordan Kisner Jack Davison, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2022
  • Rigorous, blustery winter; winding sleety spring; hot, moist enervating summer; changeful autumn with its dog-days; these are absolutely unknown.
    San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Jan. 2023
Adjective
  • As a part of the settlement, the false electors acknowledged their actions were used in an attempt to overturn an election.
    Jessie Opoien, jsonline.com, 23 Aug. 2025
  • It’s been a huge year for lashes: Brown and colored mascaras made a comeback, and people have been having fun with false lashes again.
    Sophia Panych, Allure, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Although the emergency warning was reduced to a less urgent heavy rain warning on Monday afternoon, the Japan Meteorological Agency warned that the soil had become unstable due to the precipitation, leaving the region at an elevated risk of landslides even without excessive rain.
    Trisha Mukherjee, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2025
  • People have been urged to avoid entering possibly unstable buildings as aftershocks continued to shake the area, according to the Times.
    Abigail Adams, People.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Yet for most of the year, they are completely cut off by snow, flooding, and treacherous weather.
    David Nikel, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
  • The mountain is known for its dangerous climbing conditions, made even more treacherous because of the frequency of intense storms.
    Sam Gillette, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Inconstant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inconstant. Accessed 29 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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