Vocabulary
Capricious meaning: changing suddenly and unpredictably
Sign in to saveA manager approves a plan in the morning and cancels it without warning after lunch. Capricious describes that hard-to-predict change.
Use capricious to describe a person, mood, decision, or event that changes suddenly and unpredictably.
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capricious /kəˈprɪʃəs/
The short answer
Capricious means changing suddenly and unpredictably, often in a way that seems based on a passing mood rather than a clear reason.
The committee was frustrated by the capricious changes to the schedule.
Why it works: The changes were difficult to predict and did not seem to follow a steady plan.
4 more examples
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The capricious customer changed the order three times before the kitchen began cooking.
The customer keeps changing a decision in a way that is hard to anticipate.
Not this:
The careful customerchanged the order three times before the kitchen began cooking. What changes: Careful does not explain the unpredictable changes. Capricious gives that missing idea. -
Farmers prepared for capricious spring weather by keeping spare covers for the plants.
The weather may shift quickly between conditions, making preparation harder.
Not this:Farmers prepared for
mild spring weatherby keeping spare covers for the plants. What changes: Mild describes a gentle condition. It does not say that the weather changes without warning. -
The artist enjoyed a capricious burst of inspiration and started three sketches at once.
The inspiration arrived in an unexpected, changeable way.
Not this:The artist enjoyed
a steady burst of inspirationand started three sketches at once. What changes: Steady suggests consistency, which conflicts with the unpredictable sense of capricious. -
Employees asked for written rules after several capricious decisions about holiday requests.
The decisions seem to change without a dependable standard.
Not this:Employees asked for written rules after several
prompt decisionsabout holiday requests. What changes: Prompt means quick. It does not mean that decisions change unpredictably.
Read the full guide
Use capricious when unpredictability is the point. The word can describe people, choices, rules, weather, and fortunes. It usually carries criticism or concern because the change makes planning difficult.
Start with an unpredictable change
Capricious describes a change that arrives without a dependable reason or pattern. A capricious colleague may support an idea one day and reject it the next day.
Her capricious mood made it difficult to know whether she wanted company.
Use it with people and decisions
The word often appears with person, ruler, manager, choice, decision, policy, or rule. In these contexts, capricious can suggest that power is being used without a fair or consistent standard.
The judge was criticised for a capricious decision that ignored the usual process.
Use it with conditions that shift
Capricious can also describe weather, luck, or demand when conditions change in a way that people cannot predict. The subject does not need to be a person.
The town's capricious weather moved from sunshine to heavy rain within an hour.
Separate capricious from fickle and whimsical
Fickle usually describes a person whose feelings, loyalties, or interests change often. Capricious has a wider range and puts more weight on sudden, arbitrary change. Whimsical can describe an imaginative or amusing choice, so it may be positive where capricious would sound critical.
A fickle fan may change favourite teams. A capricious organiser may change the rules without warning. A whimsical designer may choose an amusing pattern.
Build a clear sentence
A landlord changes the rent policy each month and gives different reasons each time. Is capricious a suitable word?
Yes. The policy changes unpredictably and seems to lack a stable reason. You could say, The tenants objected to the landlord's capricious rent policy.
Before you go
Remember this
Use capricious for sudden, hard-to-predict changes. It commonly appears before nouns such as mood, decision, rule, weather, behaviour, or fortune. Choose whimsical when the change is playful and imaginative rather than unreliable.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Capricious meaning: changing suddenly and unpredictably"
What does capricious mean?
Capricious means changing suddenly and unpredictably, often without a clear reason. It can describe a person, mood, decision, rule, event, or condition.
The capricious customer changed the order three times before the kitchen began cooking.
Is capricious positive or negative?
Capricious often has a negative tone because it suggests instability or unfairness. It can sound lighter when it describes weather, luck, or a creative mood.
The careful customer changed the order three times before the kitchen began cooking.
What is the difference between capricious and fickle?
Fickle usually describes changing feelings, loyalties, or interests. Capricious can describe those things too, but it also describes sudden, arbitrary changes in decisions, rules, and conditions.
Farmers prepared for capricious spring weather by keeping spare covers for the plants.
Can capricious describe weather?
Yes. Capricious weather changes suddenly and is hard to predict. The word is useful when those shifts make plans or preparation difficult.
Farmers prepared for mild spring weather by keeping spare covers for the plants.
How do you pronounce capricious?
Capricious is pronounced ca-PRISH-us, with stress on the second syllable. Its IPA pronunciation is /kəˈprɪʃəs/.
The artist enjoyed a capricious burst of inspiration and started three sketches at once.