Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

caprice

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of caprice

1 a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action

  • an out-of-character caprice led him to take the day off from work and go to the beach
Synonyms of caprice

bee, crank, fancy, freak, humor, kink, maggot, megrim, notion, vagary, vagrancy, whim, whimsy (also whimsey)
Words Related to caprice

capriciousness, fancifulness, fantasy (also phantasy), freakishness, impetuosity, whimsicality

conceit

concept, conception, image, impression, mind's eye, picture, thought

brainstorm, inspiration
Phrases Synonymous with caprice

bee in one's bonnet

2 an inclination to sudden illogical changes of mind, ideas, or actions

  • his knack for picking racetrack winners appears to owe as much to caprice as it does to a canny assessment of horseflesh
Synonyms of caprice

capriciousness, freakishness, impulsiveness, whimsicality, whimsicalness
Words Related to caprice

mercurialness, moodiness, unpredictability, willfulness

eccentricity, flakiness

arbitrariness, fickleness, inconstancy, irregularity, volatileness, volatility

changeability, flexibility, mutability, variability, variableness
Near Antonyms of caprice

levelheadedness, practicality, reasonability, reasonableness

fastness, firmness, fixedness, immovability, immovableness, immutability, inflexibility, invariability

changelessness, constancy, stability, steadfastness, steadiness

Synonym Discussion of caprice

caprice, whim, vagary, crotchet mean an irrational or unpredictable idea or desire. caprice stresses lack of apparent motivation and suggests willfulness.
    • by sheer caprice she quit her job
whim implies a fantastic, capricious turn of mind or inclination.
    • an odd antique that was bought on a whim
vagary stresses the erratic, irresponsible character of the notion or desire.
    • he had been prone to strange vagaries
crotchet implies an eccentric opinion or preference.
    • a serious scientist equally known for his bizarre crotchets

Learn More about caprice

  1. See words that rhyme with caprice Dictionary: Definition of caprice Spanish Central: Translation of caprice Nglish: Translation of caprice for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of caprice for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up caprice? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

susurrous

full of whispering sounds

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. gaslight It is a word, though.

  2. invasion CNN reporter questions President.

  3. relevancy Ariana Grande slams ex-fiancé.

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games