inconstant

adjective

(ˌ)in-ˈkän(t)-stənt How to pronounce inconstant (audio)
Definition of inconstantnext
Enter your own sentence containing inconstant , and get words to replace it.
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1
as in volatile
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly our windjammer sailed wherever the inconstant winds took us

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in traitorous
not true in one's allegiance to someone or something an inconstant but always entertaining friend

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective inconstant differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of inconstant are capricious, fickle, mercurial, and unstable. While all these words mean "lacking firmness or steadiness (as in purpose or devotion)," inconstant implies an incapacity for steadiness and an inherent tendency to change.

an inconstant friend

When could capricious be used to replace inconstant?

The meanings of capricious and inconstant largely overlap; however, capricious suggests motivation by sudden whim or fancy and stresses unpredictability.

an utterly capricious critic

Where would fickle be a reasonable alternative to inconstant?

While in some cases nearly identical to inconstant, fickle suggests unreliability because of perverse changeability and incapacity for steadfastness.

performers discover how fickle fans can be

When can mercurial be used instead of inconstant?

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

made anxious by her boss's mercurial temperament

When would unstable be a good substitute for inconstant?

The words unstable and inconstant can be used in similar contexts, 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 inconstant Song as a different kind of time, as heroin became her own inconstant clock. — Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 That’s the one constant in this inconstant series. — Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2022 Oedipus and the Riddle Quadruped in the dawn, erect at noon, and wandering on three legs across the blind spaces of afternoon; so the eternal Sphinx saw her inconstant brother, Man. — Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 19 Aug. 2011 The moon is earth’s closest, albeit inconstant, companion. — Korey Haynes, Discover Magazine, 11 June 2019 See All Example Sentences for inconstant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inconstant
  1. volatile
  2. traitorous
  3. unpredictable
  4. unreliable
  5. changeful
  6. false
  7. unstable
  8. treacherous
Adjective
  • His masculinity, though less volatile, is as stunted as Stanley’s.
    — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Against this volatile backdrop, CNBC Pro screened for S & P 500 companies whose shares have quickly been losing steam.
    — Sean Conlon, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of volatile
Adjective
  • But what will their first move as a traitorous duo be?
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
  • The blame for this terrifying scenario, McCarthy declared, rested with traitorous federal employees, who had sold their country out and had to be purged from its service.
    — Made by History, TIME, 9 Feb. 2025
Definition of traitorous
Adjective
  • Sometimes, as today’s business leaders are well aware, the future is unpredictable, and its demands are unprecedented.
    — Anar Mammadov, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
  • March Madness will always be unpredictable—but that doesn't mean your bracket has to be.
    — Kilty Cleary, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of unpredictable
Adjective
  • Weldon has also shared unreliable claims about reproductive health.
    — Chantelle Lee, TIME, 12 Mar. 2025
  • In a press briefing, the NTSB shared the investigation's initial findings on potential unreliable data recording and an Air Traffic Control communications issue that led to the crash.
    — Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of unreliable
Adjective
  • Hers is the kind of face that inspires directors to tight framing — gleaming, as if smoothed from marble, and yet somehow pliant, changeful.
    — Jordan Kisner Jack Davison, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2022
  • Rigorous, blustery winter; winding sleety spring; hot, moist enervating summer; changeful autumn with its dog-days; these are absolutely unknown.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Jan. 2023
Definition of changeful
Adjective
  • In those documents, West discussed not only how to conduct experiments to implant false memories, instill specific mental disorders, and induce trance states, but also how to hide them.
    — Randall Colburn, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2025
  • To illustrate, in the United Kingdom vaccinations took a considerable dip in the early 2000s after Wakefield’ false claims of a link between the MMR shot and autism were posted in the media.
    — Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Definition of false
Adjective
  • On the flip side, the cushy, rocker-bottom shoe that makes your miles feel oh-so-smooth can leave you wobbly and unstable in the weight room.
    — Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Our dependence on oil puts countless service members’ lives at risk and reinforces our reliance on a volatile and unstable global market with the potential to devastate the U.S. economy.
    — James Brock, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2025
Definition of unstable
Adjective
  • Combined with a light glaze of ice that could fall before temperatures drop, travel in the area could be treacherous that day, the weather service said.
    — Sean Murphy and Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2025
  • The legendary Stadium, Mountain, and Dunes courses now have bigger and faster greens as well as more treacherous hazards.
    — Passport by ForbesLife, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of treacherous

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Cite this Entry

“Inconstant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inconstant. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

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