capricious
capricious
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "capricious" is:
kəˈprɪʃəs
Here's a breakdown of the sounds by syllable:
cap (kə):
k - voiceless velar plosive
ə - central vowel (schwa)
ri (ˈprɪ):
ˈ - primary stress
p - voiceless bilabial plosive
r - alveolar trill
ɪ - near-close near-front unrounded vowel
cious (ʃəs):
ʃ - voiceless postalveolar fricative
ə - central vowel (schwa)
s - voiceless alveolar fricative
Word Form Variations
"Capricious" itself doesn't have variations for singular and plural because it's an adjective. Adjectives describe nouns and don't indicate quantity.
However, "capricious" does have some related word forms:
capriciously (adverb): This describes the manner of something being capricious. (e.g., "She changed her mind capriciously.")
capriciousness (noun): This refers to the quality of being capricious. (e.g., "The weather's capriciousness made planning difficult.")
non-capricious (adjective): This means not being capricious, predictable or consistent. (e.g., "His non-capricious leadership inspired confidence.")
un-capricious (adjective): This is less common than non-capricious and has the same meaning.
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Definitions, Synonyms, Antonyms
Adjective:
Definition: Likely to change suddenly and unpredictably, often based on whim or fancy. (e.g., "The capricious winds made sailing a challenge.")
Synonyms: Impulsive, erratic, mercurial, fickle, volatile, whimsical (for a more lighthearted version).
Antonyms: Consistent, predictable, steady, stable, constant.
Adverb (derived from the adjective):
Capriciously: In a way that is unpredictable and prone to sudden changes. (e.g., "She acted capriciously, cancelling plans at the last minute.")
Synonyms: Impulsively, erratically, fickly, on a whim.
Antonyms: Consistently, predictably, steadily.
Noun (derived from the adjective):
Capriciousness: The quality of being unpredictable and prone to sudden changes. (e.g., "The capriciousness of her moods made it difficult to get close to her.")
Synonyms: Impulsiveness, erraticism, fickleness, volatility.
Antonyms: Consistency, predictability, steadiness, stability.
Examples of Use
1. Literature:
"The weather on the mountain was notoriously capricious, with sunny spells giving way to sudden blizzards." (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring)
2. Newspaper:
"Investors remain capricious, with the stock market swinging wildly in recent weeks." (The New York Times, business section)
3. Online Publication:
"The latest celebrity gossip site claims the singer is known for her capricious behaviour, often cancelling interviews at the last minute." (Buzzfeed)
4. Entertainment Medium (Movie):
Movie villain: "Fear not, citizens! I, the benevolent Doctor Wonderful, shall protect you from the capricious forces of chaos!" (Villain winks, then cackles maniacally as a ray gun blasts a bystander.)
5. Entertainment Medium (Video Game):
Game developer interview: "We wanted to create a challenging experience with capricious enemy AI, keeping players on their toes."
6. General Public Discourse:
Friend A: "Ugh, my internet connection is so capricious. One minute it's blazing fast, the next it's crawling!"
Friend B: "Tell me about it! I swear the weather changes on a dime here. It's so capricious."
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10 Famous Quotes Using the term Capricious
While "capricious" is a well-understood word, it's not as common in famous quotes compared to more basic vocabulary. Here are some quotes that capture the essence of "capricious" using synonyms or related ideas:
"Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; Being purged by the wind, turns to air again." (William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet) (Implies fickleness)
"The course of true love never did run smooth." (William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream) (Similar idea to capriciousness in love)
"The only constant in life is change." (Heraclitus) (Highlights the unpredictable nature)
"The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven." (John Milton, Paradise Lost) (Focuses on internal fickleness)
"Fickle fortune smiles on fools." (William Cowper, On the Receipt of My Mother's Picture) (Implies the arbitrary nature of luck)
"The future is always uncertain." (Justinian I) (Speaks to the unpredictable nature)
"The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceeding fine." (Friedrich von Schiller) (Highlights the eventual consequences of unpredictable actions)
"Hope is a fragile thing, easily shattered." (Cassandra Clare, City of Bones) (Similar idea to the unreliable nature of capriciousness)
"There are tides in the affairs of men Which, taken at the flood, lead on to fortune..." (William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar) (Focuses on the importance of seizing fleeting opportunities, similar to navigating a capricious situation).
"The weather is a fickle friend." (Proverb) (Directly uses "fickle" as a synonym for capricious)
Etymology
The word "capricious" comes from a long journey through different languages! It all started in Italian with the word "capriccio," which originally didn't mean someone who changes their mind a lot. Instead, it described a sudden shiver or shudder, maybe from fear!
Think of someone's hair standing on end when they're scared. Some believe "capriccio" might have come from Italian words for "head" and "hedgehog" (because of the spiky hair), but that's not totally certain.
Over time, "capriccio" came to mean a sudden change of mood, and eventually, the French borrowed it as "capricieux." Finally, in the late 1500s, English adopted the word as "capricious," which now describes someone who's unpredictable and changes their mind quickly.
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Phrases + Idioms Containing the term Capricious
While there aren't many common idioms directly using "capricious," here are some phrases that capture the essence of the word:
At the whim of: This implies someone's actions are based on their sudden fancies or desires, similar to being capricious. (e.g., "She changed the plans at the whim of a moment.")
A fickle breeze: "Fickle" is a synonym for capricious, so this phrase describes a wind that changes direction unexpectedly.
A toss-up: This refers to something with an uncertain outcome, just like a capricious situation.
Fly by the seat of your pants: This means to make decisions without a plan, which can lead to capricious actions.
Weather vane: This is a device that shows wind direction, and since the wind can be capricious, it figuratively describes someone whose opinions change frequently.
Posts Related to Capricious
Source Information
Definition of capricious from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
