Definition of inconstancynext
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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

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 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 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
  • Decades later, the first couple of rock and roll briefly split in 2016 after rumors of infidelity, but reconciled shortly thereafter.
    Grace Gavilanes, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Gripped by a paralyzing fear for the fate of her future children, Naama returns to the same monument where the infidelity took place; there, her parents appear before her.
    Katie Campione, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Governments need to treat volatility as a risk alongside currency fluctuations, interest rates, and credit costs.
    Nana Menya Ayensu, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2026
  • According to the brand, this treatment was designed to address hereditary factors, hormonal fluctuations, nutritional deficiencies, and stress.
    Carly Cardellino Vaccaro, InStyle, 5 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • For one thing covetousness, as opposed to the more concrete sins like theft or murder or adultery, is a thought crime, and almost all that goes on here, happens within the minds of the characters.
    Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Its citizens held slaves, some of whom were shackled for committing adultery.
    Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Through serial repetition, role-play, and the oscillation between masculine and feminine visual codes, Stötzer stages gender as something performed rather than possessed.
    Elisa R. Linn, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • With its 350-degree oscillation, the air purifier can cover your space, too.
    George Yang, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • And this is why leaving him behind feels like such a betrayal.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
  • But this roundheeled rom-com’s most unjustified betrayal is its happy ending.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Law professor Sahar Aziz has documented how, in the post-9/11 era, visible Muslim identity increasingly came to be associated with foreignness and political disloyalty.
    Asma Uddin, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Leaders can maintain alumni relationships, make re-entry culturally acceptable and ensure hiring processes do not automatically treat departure as disloyalty.
    Sheila Callaham, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Platner, indeed, has boiled down nearly all political problems to the perfidy of sinister oligarchs.
    Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026
  • If the landing had been faked, the Soviets would have figured it out and would have loved to reveal to the world America’s perfidy.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Inconstancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inconstancy. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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