Words / C2

k-uh-PRISH-uh-s/kəˈprɪʃəs/

Capricious means changing mood or mind without a good reason: a capricious decision, capricious weather. Arbitrary is closer to “no rule”; fickle is everyday for people. A caprice is a sudden whim. Unpredictable is wider and less judgemental.

Meaning

Changing mood or mind unpredictably, without a good reason.

Examples

• “A capricious marker would be a nightmare for candidates.”
• “Funding was too capricious for long experiments.”
• “A capricious boss kept rewriting the brief overnight.”

Good to know

a capricious decision/mood. Everyday: fickle. Whim noun: caprice.

Near in meaning

fickle

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