capricious
kuh-PRISH-us · adjective
Changing suddenly and unpredictably, often without a clear reason.
Memory connection
Picture “Capri—shush!”
A wind over Capri falls silent when told ‘shush,’ then immediately howls and changes direction for no apparent reason.
The sound cue helps you reach the scene; the action in the scene carries you from the scene to the definition.
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Meaning in context
The region’s capricious weather can shift from sunshine to hail within minutes.
Employees found it difficult to satisfy a capricious supervisor whose priorities changed daily.
Capricious describes unpredictable behavior, decisions, weather, fortune, or taste. It often implies that changes are arbitrary rather than responsive to evidence.
Common patterns
- capricious behavior
- a capricious decision
- notoriously capricious
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Build a more precise understanding
Where the word comes from
Capricious came through French capricieux from Italian capriccioso and capriccio, “a whim.” The deeper origin of capriccio is uncertain, so colorful stories connecting it to goats or bristling hair are theories rather than settled facts.
Register and usage
Usually critical, capricious describes choices or behavior that change suddenly without a dependable reason. It can also personify unpredictable forces such as weather or fortune.
Word family
- caprice (noun)
- capriciously (adverb)
- capriciousness (noun)
References for further checking
These links provide fuller dictionary and word-history entries. MnemoWords writes its own learner explanation rather than reproducing their definitions.
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