capriciousness
Tendency toward whims
Capriciousness is the quality of being unpredictable, changeable, or given to sudden shifts in mood or behavior without apparent reason.
It suggests whimsy rather than deliberate choice—someone or something capricious acts on impulse rather than logic.
The capriciousness of spring weather makes planning outdoor events difficult.
The word often carries a slightly negative connotation, implying unreliability or fickleness that others find frustrating to deal with.
Lack of steadiness
- changeabilityTendency to alter frequently
- mercurialityErratic changeability of mood
- volatilityRapid, unpredictable changeability
- mutabilityCapacity for alteration
vacillation · wavering · instability · unsteadiness · variability · fluctuation · indecision · irresolution
Elaborate or decorative
- whimSudden arbitrary desire
- notionImprecise mental impression
- quirkPeculiar behavioral trait
- eccentricityUnconventional behavior or nature
playfulness · frivolity · lightheartedness · frolic · vagary · crotchet · fad · impulse
Baseless decision-making quality
- unreasonablenessLack of sound judgment
- perversityDeliberate contrary behavior
- contrarinessHabitual disposition to oppose
- waywardnessStubborn resistance to guidance
petulance · obstinacy · stubbornness · self-will · headstrong · unaccountability · tyranny · despotism
Lacking regularity or consistency
- arbitraryBased on personal whim
- randomOccurring without pattern
- unstableProne to sudden change
- uncertainNot firmly known
unreliable · undependable · irregular · sporadic · aleatory · unforeseeable · inconsistent · hit-or-miss
inconstancy
Lack of steadiness
- changeabilityTendency to alter frequently
- mercurialityErratic changeability of mood
- volatilityRapid, unpredictable changeability
mutability · vacillation · wavering · instability · unsteadiness · variability · fluctuation · indecision · irresolution · flightiness
fancy
Elaborate or decorative
eccentricity · playfulness · frivolity · lightheartedness · frolic · vagary · crotchet · fad · impulse · spontaneity
arbitrariness
Baseless decision-making quality
- unreasonablenessLack of sound judgment
- perversityDeliberate contrary behavior
- contrarinessHabitual disposition to oppose
waywardness · petulance · obstinacy · stubbornness · self-will · headstrong · unaccountability · tyranny · despotism · autocracy
erratic
Lacking regularity or consistency
uncertain · unreliable · undependable · irregular · sporadic · aleatory · unforeseeable · inconsistent · hit-or-miss · unsettled
- changeabilityvariability, mutability, fickleness, inconstancy, instability
- fortunelucky, luck, fortune, fate, destiny
- whimsywhimsy, whim, fairies, unicorns, fancy
- Volatilityvolatility, fluctuation, fluctuations, instability, unpredictability
- Arbitrarinessrandomness, whimsy, haphazardness, unpredictability, chance
- frivolousnesssilliness, whimsy, playfulness, levity, giddiness
capriciousnessconstancy
Unchanging faithfulness over time
steadiness · consistency · steadfastness · stability · predictability
capriciousnessloyalty
Faithful commitment to another
fidelity · faithfulness · devotion · dedication · single-mindedness
capriciousnessreasonableness
Quality of being fair-minded
levelheadedness · rationality · deliberateness · practicality · reasonability