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
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
In the nineteen-nineties and two-thousands, as the center-left was evolving, the label was most effectively applied to those telegenic figures—Bill and Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, John Edwards—who were suspected of ideological inconstancy and of substituting polls for principles.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 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
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
An acidic trickle of disenchantment, especially regarding Bellow’s inconstancy with women and family, runs through it.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2021
Magill’s recollection, recounted in Blum’s Morgenthau biography, captures a typical moment of presidential inconstancy.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2021
Craig Hooper, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
In the nineteen-nineties and two-thousands, as the center-left was evolving, the label was most effectively applied to those telegenic figures—Bill and Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, John Edwards—who were suspected of ideological inconstancy and of substituting polls for principles.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 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
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
An acidic trickle of disenchantment, especially regarding Bellow’s inconstancy with women and family, runs through it.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2021
Magill’s recollection, recounted in Blum’s Morgenthau biography, captures a typical moment of presidential inconstancy.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inconstancy
Noun
-
Huston could recognize the ways of that brood: her own renowned and eccentric family inhabited that domestic world of privilege, power, infidelity, and intrigue that became Christie’s writerly milieu.—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
15 Apr. 2025
-
The exciting news comes after a tumultuous few months for Coi, who kicked off 2025 by announcing a child with Trippie before accusing him of infidelity.—
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady,
Billboard,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
X-ray radiation levels in the chamber were similar to those on the surface of Mars when there is strong solar activity, though solar flares and fluctuations in solar wind make actual Martian levels unpredictable.—
Elizabeth Rayne,
ArsTechnica,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Vulcan remains steadfast in its commitment to inherent value, patiently awaiting a price that aligns with its corporate quality, without succumbing to fads or market fluctuations.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Within the White Lotus, adultery abounds, couples engage in power plays, and flirtatious encounters occur among old friends and strangers alike.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2025
-
In his 1991 book The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal, biologist Jared Diamond claimed the adultery rate among humans was between 5% and 30%.—
ByAndrew Curry,
science.org,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The researchers’ goal was to inject tracer dye into CSF at one point in the brain and then track its oscillations and dynamics while the mice slept.—
Veronique Greenwood,
Quanta Magazine,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Then the neutrino beam at Fermilab is scheduled to go live by 2031, allowing for oscillation measurements.—
Discover Magazine,
Discover Magazine,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The dream scenario, for many fans at least, was for Kingston and Woods’ betrayal of Big E to lead to an in-ring return for Big E, a former WWE Champion.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
-
But support for the Democrats plunged in 2010 after its leaders negotiated directly for universal suffrage with officials from Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong – a move seen as a betrayal by other pro-democracy groups.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Game is speaking up after the controversial figure attempted to call him out for disloyalty on X/Twitter.—
Jessica Bennett,
VIBE.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
The director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Timothy Haugh, was among the numerous officials far-right activist Laura Loomer urged President Donald Trump to remove during her official Oval Office meeting earlier this week, citing evidence of disloyalties, multiple sources tell ABC News.—
Will Steakin,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Despite high trade deficits, the U.S. economy is strong Trump and his advisers point to America’s lopsided trade numbers—year after year of huge deficits—as proof of foreigners’ perfidy.—
Time,
Time,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inconstancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inconstancy. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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