1
as in volatile
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly
capricious weather that was balmy one day and freezing cold the next
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impulsive
prone to sudden illogical changes of mind, ideas, or actions
a capricious woman who changed her mind dozens of times about what color to paint the bathroom
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of capricious
Such supportive undercurrents help explain why the tape has hung in there in the face of capricious policy-making and putrid consumer sentiment, allowing the market to process extraordinary and sometimes scary stimuli into what looks, for now, like a setback that’s more routine than wrenching.
—
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 26 May 2025
That intentional inscrutability makes the book excitingly capricious, reflecting how nations remember or untangle painful ruptures in their history.
—Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 18 May 2025
In short, fate’s distribution of long straws is wildly capricious.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 12 May 2025
Desperate to impress Ruby, Ava scrambles to get Deborah jokes for a desk bit, only for a capricious and vindictive Deborah to cancel the bit entirely and use the time to probe Ruby about embarrassing Ava stories on national television.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for capricious
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 26 May 2025
That intentional inscrutability makes the book excitingly capricious, reflecting how nations remember or untangle painful ruptures in their history.
—Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 18 May 2025
In short, fate’s distribution of long straws is wildly capricious.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 12 May 2025
Desperate to impress Ruby, Ava scrambles to get Deborah jokes for a desk bit, only for a capricious and vindictive Deborah to cancel the bit entirely and use the time to probe Ruby about embarrassing Ava stories on national television.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for capricious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for capricious
Adjective
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Budget Pressure Is Driving Clarity The reflex in volatile markets is often to scale up teams or stack more tools.—
Jeremy Barnett,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
-
While the character brandishes a firearm and things eventually come to blows in physical tussles over the course of the volatile evening, Gallo's script never loses grip on the tender undercurrent of intimacy established back in Ponyboi's shower.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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Outfits that once felt aspirational quickly become irrelevant, leaving behind a cycle of impulsive purchases, lukewarm satisfaction, and the constant itch for reinvention.—
Jailynn Taylor,
Essence,
8 July 2025
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Back in 1937, Winfield James, Harry Caldwell and Jimmy Pickard — three impulsive teens from Abilene, just out of high school and trying to avoid summer jobs — paddled a small canoe some 660 miles down the Colorado from Ballinger, Texas, to the Gulf of Mexico.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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The head of the European Central Bank said inflation has become more unpredictable due to shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and that policymakers need to take the possibility of such extreme scenarios into account and communicate them to the public as well.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 July 2025
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But for investors who are wary of the susceptibility of Argos’s sales to the unpredictable nature of the weather, the team is ramping up its efforts to expand its products to include stockless ranges.—
John Choong,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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Actors audition, offering up eccentric props and singing sixteen a-capella bars of their choosing.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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Inspired by the structure of the boubou, and featuring eccentric African details, opulent gold accents, and rich suedes, the couture line has become one of the recent successes of the brand.—
Ugonnaora Owoh,
Essence,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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Since 2024, luxury brands from conglomerates like Kering, LVMH and Richemont have experienced inconsistent quarters of sales growth and decline.—
Emma Sandler,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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Though the criticism of nationwide injunctions may be warranted, having inconsistent immigration holdings in different states may be its own problem.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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For manufacturers using Odoo, a strategic approach to agentic AI can help prepare for unstable markets, rising costs, shifting customer demands and hostile geopolitics.—
Dmitriy Stepanov,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
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But Haiti remains unstable, Columbus' Manuel said, disputing the government's claim that conditions have improved there.—
Danae King,
USA Today,
7 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Capricious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/capricious. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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