fickle

adjective

ˈfi-kəl How to pronounce fickle (audio)
Definition of ficklenext
1
as in volatile
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly a fickle friendship that was on and off over the years

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in traitorous
not true in one's allegiance to someone or something when the family's fortune disappeared, so did their fickle friends

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective fickle differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of fickle are capricious, inconstant, mercurial, and unstable. While all these words mean "lacking firmness or steadiness (as in purpose or devotion)," fickle suggests unreliability because of perverse changeability and incapacity for steadfastness.

performers discover how fickle fans can be

In what contexts can capricious take the place of fickle?

In some situations, the words capricious and fickle are roughly equivalent. However, capricious suggests motivation by sudden whim or fancy and stresses unpredictability.

an utterly capricious critic

When could inconstant be used to replace fickle?

The meanings of inconstant and fickle largely overlap; however, inconstant implies an incapacity for steadiness and an inherent tendency to change.

an inconstant friend

When is mercurial a more appropriate choice than fickle?

While the synonyms mercurial and fickle are close in meaning, mercurial implies a rapid changeability in mood.

made anxious by her boss's mercurial temperament

When might unstable be a better fit than fickle?

The synonyms unstable and fickle are sometimes interchangeable, but unstable implies an incapacity for remaining in a fixed position or steady course and applies especially to a lack of emotional balance.

too unstable to hold a job

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 fickle Two of the most famous examples of TV show stardom’s fickle translation to movie-star status can be found in the trajectories of Shelley Long and George Clooney. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Aug. 2026 The sportsbooks had familiar face Charlotte Flair winning her 15th world championship, but Chelsea Green upset the applecart while exciting WWE’s fickle fanbase with a career-defining win. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026 While maximalist trends often signify that louder pieces are the only way to look fashion-forward, bold styles are ultimately fickle and harder to reinvent in new looks. — Olivia Cigliano, InStyle, 1 Aug. 2026 In the fickle economy of online fame, the Tates’ total saturation had an inevitable sell-by date. — Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for fickle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fickle
  1. volatile
  2. traitorous
  3. unpredictable
  4. unreliable
  5. treacherous
  6. false
  7. inconstant
Adjective
  • One wild card for inflation has been oil prices, which have been volatile due to uncertainty about the war in Iran.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Citadel’s stock transactions are giving investors a glimpse of how Griffin is navigating an increasingly volatile market.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of volatile
Adjective
  • Telemachus’ lone contribution is killing Melanthius, the traitorous Ithacan farmhand, thus preventing him from continuing to arm the suitors.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 July 2026
  • And at the very center of Hell is Satan himself, the traitorous Archangel Lucifer, depicted as a monstrous creature with wings and three heads.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 May 2026
Definition of traitorous
Adjective
  • Researchers from Tohoku University in Japan and VISTEC in Thailand say the approach could help robots move more effectively through unpredictable terrain.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Prolific and versatile, Richard Linklater has been one of the most joyously unpredictable filmmakers for more than 35 years.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of unpredictable
Adjective
  • The 5,000 sailors and Marines on board have been working sustained combat operations, dealing with extension after extension and unreliable access to food, basic hygiene supplies, and mail.
    — Andrea N. Goldstein, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Print editions overseas also reach service members in remote locations where internet access is spotty and unreliable.
    — Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of unreliable
Adjective
  • At face value, young men exercising should not be reason to sound the alarms, and yet there is something treacherous about men in their formative years placing physical beauty as the ultimate expression of self-actualization.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Jacksonville, a city of about 1 million, is particularly treacherous for children living in areas north and west of downtown.
    — Yona Gavino, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of treacherous
Adjective
  • Another false dawn was Manchester City’s bright start in a 2-0 win over Chelsea, without the man who had just been named player of the tournament at Euro 2024, Rodri.
    — Michael Cox, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In turn, Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios filed a defamation suit, which claimed Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, had planted false claims in order to take over creative control of the film.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of false
Adjective
  • But there’s another inconstant element on Flagler that neither the city nor its agencies have any control over.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Each one grew up in a home that required her to curry favor with volatile and inconstant parents—a menacing father figure, a recessive and enabling mother—and each found a fragile safety in her caretakers’ occasional good will.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Definition of inconstant

Browse Nearby Words

fibs
fickle
fickleness
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Cite this Entry

“Fickle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fickle. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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