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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 capricious
The data collection demand is arbitrary, capricious and contrary to law, the attorney general said.
—
Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Ambitious, capricious, Catalina is accustomed to getting her way, until her life in Spain implodes forcing her to flee to Cuba, to confront her mistakes, guilt and need to rebuild her entire life.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026
Winning is difficult, especially in a sport as capricious as hockey.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
Musicians have long suffered in silence at the capricious whims of Wikipedia editors.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for capricious
Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Ambitious, capricious, Catalina is accustomed to getting her way, until her life in Spain implodes forcing her to flee to Cuba, to confront her mistakes, guilt and need to rebuild her entire life.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026
Winning is difficult, especially in a sport as capricious as hockey.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
Musicians have long suffered in silence at the capricious whims of Wikipedia editors.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for capricious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for capricious
Adjective
-
It's been an eventful first month on the job for Pat Lyons, the new athletic director at the University of Rhode Island, who takes the reins in Kingston during a volatile time in college sports, with the billions of dollars available in media rights turning the NCAA into a conduit for big business.—
Kathleen Hill,
The Providence Journal,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Flying is the company’s second Nova-C lander named Athena featuring NASA’s PRIME-1 drill, to land a drill and mass spectrometer near the south pole of the moon in order to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The ultimate goal is never an impulsive diagnosis.—
Lucy Jones
April 11,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
-
For svn4vr, a devout Christian whose music grapples with the demands of faith, the impulsive workflow conveys a religious fervor.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But home equity loan rates are fixed, which is an advantageous feature in today's economy, in which interest rate movements are unpredictable.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Social occasions might be unpredictable with cancellations or surprise invitations.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
An eccentric burnout, someone for whom the eighties had been dazzling but dimming at the same time.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The series chronicles the exploits of Kuashal Niroula and Danny Garcia as they are roped into an impressive group of eccentric, like-minded con artists to form the ‘gay grifters’ swindling a bevy of unsuspecting victims out of millions in cash and property over a decade plus.—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Adjective
-
In addition to reinforcing the fiduciary standards that are already in place for community associations, this will help to establish stronger grounds for claims involving unilateral acts by directors, inadequate reserve planning, inconsistent rules enforcement, or failures in management oversight.—
Evonne Andris,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Maybe—but the effects are likely to be modest and inconsistent.—
Patricia Weiser,
Verywell Health,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Thompson said the seven-story parking garage is unstable, and the search for the two missing workers will take time.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In contrast, this novel method depends on the path a quantum system takes rather than on unstable external factors.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Capricious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/capricious. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
