1
as in adjustable
capable of being readily changed
a variable expense that we could reduce if we needed to
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in variable star
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of variable
Noam Vogt-Vincent, The Conversation, 6 June 2025
There's also only one choice of transmission—a continuously variable transmission.
—ArsTechnica, 6 June 2025
Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 2 June 2025
The variable in the United States is going to be squad strength, and how heavily the favourites commit at the end of hard seasons.
—Phil Hay
june 2, New York Times, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for variable
Adjective
Away from the equator, light intensity falls and temperature becomes more variable, reducing growth, and therefore the rate of range expansion, for many coral species.
—Noam Vogt-Vincent, The Conversation, 6 June 2025
There's also only one choice of transmission—a continuously variable transmission.
—ArsTechnica, 6 June 2025
Noun
Through the Looking Glass The elliptic curve is a particularly fundamental type of equation that uses just two variables — x and y.
—Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 2 June 2025
The variable in the United States is going to be squad strength, and how heavily the favourites commit at the end of hard seasons.
—Phil Hay
june 2, New York Times, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for variable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for variable
Adjective
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But make no mistake: the situation remains extremely volatile.—
Robert Rapier,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
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His aunt and two cousins traded stories about how volatile Williams was to even his own mother and the mother of his child.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
15 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
-
Be adaptable, as your plans with friends and loved ones may change on a whim.—
Liz Simmons,
StyleCaster,
24 June 2025
-
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
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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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Crucially, the white dwarf is not destroyed, and the 80-year-long process begins again.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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The object could be a white dwarf—an Earth-sized husk that remains after a star has exhausted its nuclear fuel.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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In 8th grade, students create a flexible four-year plan for high school to help guide them.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2025
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FSIs who provide flexible, digital-first work environments and AI-enabled productivity tools may be better positioned to attract this talent and benefit from their fresh perspectives.—
Monica Hovsepian,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Noun
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The complete gravitational collapse that results creates either a neutron star or a black hole, and also sends out a blast of energy and high-speed particles that can traverse star systems and entire galaxies in some cases.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
13 June 2025
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For Córdova, that path began with a moment of astonishment: watching a television program about neutron stars as a young woman, she was struck by the immensity of the cosmos and felt the pull of a question that would guide her for a lifetime — how does the universe work?—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
2 June 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 30 Jun. 2025.
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