1
as in infidelity
lack of faithfulness especially to one's husband or wife
a wife who was long inured to the chronic inconstancy of her husband
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fluctuation
the frequent and usually sudden passing from one condition to another
the inconstancy of public opinion is such that today's hero may be tomorrow's punching bag
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inconstancy
Scientific and engineering advances don't do well in the face of such wild swings and inconstancy.
—
Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2025
Europeans, awakened to the danger of American inconstancy, are scrambling to spend trillions more on defense in coming years.
—Adam Rasmi, Time, 20 June 2025
Years of naval inconstancy with repair work drove Vigor Industrial—a once vibrant and growing maritime conglomerate—into the welcoming arms of hedge funds, which wasted no time in striping the company of value.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
Here, Calabazas appears to be holding a toy windmill in one hand and, in the other, a miniature portrait of a woman, perhaps intended by Velázquez as a commentary on the inconstancy of love.
—Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2023
Due to his inconstancy and Angie’s growing attachment, their flimsy relationship operated on a timescale of eras coalescing into matters of historical record.
—Hannah Gold, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022
But, in the hands of the Fleet Foxes, the pastoral feels less like a particular zone in time and more like a space in which to parse ideas of self-reliance, the inconstancy of love, the pain of intimacy, the fear of loss, the sting of betrayal, and the strange but urgent project of hope.
—Brandon Taylor, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2022
Over the past 20 years, the United States has undermined its own global leadership by inconstancy.
—Damon Linker, The Week, 9 June 2021
Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2025
Europeans, awakened to the danger of American inconstancy, are scrambling to spend trillions more on defense in coming years.
—Adam Rasmi, Time, 20 June 2025
Years of naval inconstancy with repair work drove Vigor Industrial—a once vibrant and growing maritime conglomerate—into the welcoming arms of hedge funds, which wasted no time in striping the company of value.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
Here, Calabazas appears to be holding a toy windmill in one hand and, in the other, a miniature portrait of a woman, perhaps intended by Velázquez as a commentary on the inconstancy of love.
—Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2023
Due to his inconstancy and Angie’s growing attachment, their flimsy relationship operated on a timescale of eras coalescing into matters of historical record.
—Hannah Gold, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022
But, in the hands of the Fleet Foxes, the pastoral feels less like a particular zone in time and more like a space in which to parse ideas of self-reliance, the inconstancy of love, the pain of intimacy, the fear of loss, the sting of betrayal, and the strange but urgent project of hope.
—Brandon Taylor, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2022
Over the past 20 years, the United States has undermined its own global leadership by inconstancy.
—Damon Linker, The Week, 9 June 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inconstancy
Noun
-
In the movie, the Bullmers’ relationship is still fraught, but the issues are based more in money than infidelity, and Anne (Lisa Loven Kongsli) is far more of a presence.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The two shared a tumultuous partnership that included allegations of infidelity, and divorced in 1967.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Developed by researchers from Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and 8 Rivers, the system leverages fluctuations in energy demand by using liquid oxygen storage (LOX) to make power plants more cost-effective and efficient.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The fluctuations have a slightly larger magnitude on large-scales than small-scales, again consistent with inflation.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Unhappy unions loom large in the novel, which teems with adultery.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Thou shalt not commit adultery.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
What’s more, a pressure pattern in the Atlantic Ocean that helps direct a storm’s pattern, known as the North Atlantic oscillation, has shifted.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Atomic clocks keep time using the steady oscillations of atoms.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The series explores the trauma, betrayal, and moral conflicts of characters pushed to the edge.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Inside Gaza, criticizing Hamas has long been treated by the organization as a form of betrayal.—
Mohammed R. Mhawish,
New Yorker,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Many of China’s top military officials have been purged during Xi’s third term on charges of corruption or disloyalty.—
PHILIP H. GORDON,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Sep. 2025
-
A lot of disloyalty this season with lots of empty words.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Their perfidy is memorialized in the English language, though.—
Evan Osnos,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
-
The prior month, Vice President JD Vance had lodged his own complaints about Europe’s alleged perfidy, threatening that the United States might withdraw its security guarantees from Europe if the EU continued to aggressively regulate U.S. tech companies.—
ANU BRADFORD,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inconstancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inconstancy. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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