capricious
/kəˈprɪʃ.əs/Likely to change suddenly and without a clear reason. A capricious person or thing is unpredictable and hard to rely on. The change is often based on a passing mood rather than logic.
- The capricious manager changed the project deadline three times in one week.
- Mountain weather is capricious — it can go from sunny to stormy in minutes.
- Her capricious decisions left the entire team confused and frustrated.
Adinary Nuance
Capricious sits in a cluster with fickle, whimsical, and mercurial — but each word has a distinct flavour. Fickle is specifically about changing loyalties or preferences; a fickle supporter cheers for you today and abandons you tomorrow. Whimsical is often a compliment — a whimsical design is charming and playfully imaginative, not unstable. Mercurial emphasises the speed of mood shifts (think of the fast-moving planet Mercury) and is usually applied to temperament, while capricious covers decisions, rules, and behaviour more broadly. Choose capricious when you want to stress that changes are arbitrary and without good reason — it is the most formal of the group and works well in IELTS academic writing.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- hay thay đổi bất thường
- Spanish
- caprichoso
- Chinese
- 任性
- Japanese
- 気まぐれ
- Korean
- 변덕스러운
Etymology
From French *capricieux* and Italian *capriccio*, meaning a sudden whim or start, which entered English in the 17th century. The Italian root possibly blends *capo* (head) and *riccio* (hedgehog), evoking hair standing on end in sudden fright or agitation.
Common phrases
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is 'capricious' a negative word?
- Usually yes. It suggests someone or something is unreliable and changes for no good reason, which is generally seen as a flaw. In rare creative contexts (a capricious muse) it can feel neutral, but in academic or professional writing it almost always carries a critical tone.
- What is the difference between 'capricious' and 'impulsive'?
- 'Impulsive' means acting quickly without thinking — a single, rash action. 'Capricious' describes a repeated pattern of unpredictable changes over time. An impulsive person does one thing without planning; a capricious person keeps changing direction again and again.
- Is 'capricious' formal enough for IELTS writing?
- Yes, it is a strong academic word and works well in IELTS Task 2 essays. You might write about capricious government policies, capricious markets, or capricious leadership. It adds precision and shows a wide vocabulary range.
- Can 'capricious' describe things as well as people?
- Absolutely. Weather, markets, laws, and even fortune can all be described as capricious. Any system or force that changes without clear reason fits the word, not just human personalities.