1
as in adjustable
capable of being readily changed
a variable expense that we could reduce if we needed to
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in volatile
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly
highly variable income from his job as a real estate agent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in variable star
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of variable
Rebecca Lissner, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Researchers were able to control variables by having both groups follow the same workout program of 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training, just in a different order.
—Cathy Nelson, Health, 23 June 2025
Stephanie Petit, People.com, 24 June 2025
Most credit cards have a variable rate so there's a direct connection to the Fed's benchmark.
—Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for variable
Adjective
The world’s opinion of the United States and receptivity to its desire to assume a refashioned leadership role are themselves new variables.
—Rebecca Lissner, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Researchers were able to control variables by having both groups follow the same workout program of 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training, just in a different order.
—Cathy Nelson, Health, 23 June 2025
Noun
In addition, boys incur variable extras, e.g. charges for music lessons, optional insurances, boat club membership and school trips.
—Stephanie Petit, People.com, 24 June 2025
Most credit cards have a variable rate so there's a direct connection to the Fed's benchmark.
—Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for variable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for variable
Adjective
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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
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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
Noun
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Among the supernovas in the data will be other transient events such as variable stars and kilonovas, the violent collision between extreme dense stellar remnants called neutron stars.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
27 Jan. 2025
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In particular, Leavitt would scrutinize images of the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds, and had identified 1,800 variable stars within them.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Be adaptable, as your plans with friends and loved ones may change on a whim.—
Liz Simmons,
StyleCaster,
24 June 2025
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Native Americans also believed spiderwort to be a sign of strength and endurance, possibly because the plant is adaptable to different conditions, though not in my yard.—
Sheryl De Vore,
Chicago Tribune,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
Each response is a surprise, tapping into the psychological principle of intermittent reinforcement, famously demonstrated by psychologist B.F. Skinner, where unpredictable rewards significantly amplify behaviors, much like gambling addiction.—
Curt Steinhorst,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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Bright lights, unpredictable noises, unfamiliar smells, and the pressure to 'behave' in a certain way can quickly overwhelm a child whose brain processes the world differently.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Noun
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Astronomers traced a previous detection of a long-period transient, announced in March, to a white dwarf that’s closely orbiting a small, cool red dwarf star.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
28 May 2025
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Crucially, the white dwarf is not destroyed, and the 80-year-long process begins again.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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Helping ease the housing shortage by increasing the supply of small, relatively affordable homes within established neighborhoods, ADUs help slow the rise in housing prices and provide flexible living arrangements for changing family needs.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 June 2025
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The real winners are those who combine strategy with smart systems, focus on value, and stay flexible as technology and markets change and evolve.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Noun
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Gravitational waves are distortions in the fabric of space-time caused by the motion of massive objects like black holes or neutron stars.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
16 May 2025
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Such interactions between black holes or neutron stars (compact remnants of exploded massive stars) can be studied through the deflection angle, the energy released through the near miss and the momentum of the objects’ recoil—all of which may be discerned in gravitational waves.—
Ramin Skibba,
Scientific American,
13 May 2025
Noun
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The leading candidates included massive galaxies, quasars powered by black holes, and small, low-mass galaxies.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
19 June 2025
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As such, quasars are among the most powerful beacons astronomers can use to probe distant regions of the universe.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Variable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/variable. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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