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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

fickle

Adjective

IPA /ˈfɪkl/

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Meaning in plain English

Changing feelings, preferences or loyalties often and unpredictably, so that others cannot easily rely on them.

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Pronunciation

fickle/ˈfɪkl/

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  1. Enthusiastic about plan A

  2. Suddenly prefers plan B

  3. Soon changes their mind again

Fickle preferences change often and unpredictably.

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  1. Her fickle friend cancelled their plans whenever a more exciting invitation arrived.
  2. The company struggled to predict the tastes of fickle customers.

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Her ________ friend cancelled their plans whenever a more exciting invitation arrived.
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fickle — Changing feelings, preferences or loyalties often and unpredictably, so that others cannot easily rely on them.

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Changing feelings, preferences or loyalties often and unpredictably, so that others cannot easily rely on them.

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Word origin

From Old English ficol, which meant deceitful.

Did you know?

Fickle can also describe things that change unpredictably, such as weather or fashion.

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fickle

/ˈfɪkl/ (Adjective)

“When used about a person, fickle is disapproving and suggests unreliable preferences or loyalty.”

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