Standard Lemma guide

fickle

adj · name · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈfɪk.əl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪkəl
  • CMU ARPABET: F IH1 K AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance; insincere; not loyal or reliable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: flighty, capricious, mercurial

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Changeable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • fickle breeze
  • fickle stock market

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: erratic, vertiginous, roving

Antonyms: none provided

3

name

Meaning 3

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To deceive, flatter.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To puzzle, perplex, nonplus.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, dialectal, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

liable to sudden unpredictable change

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • erratic behavior
  • fickle weather
  • mercurial twists of temperament
  • a quicksilver character, cool and willful at one moment, utterly fragile the next

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: erratic, mercurial, quicksilver(a)

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

marked by erratic changeableness in affections or attachments

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • fickle friends
  • a flirt's volatile affections

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: volatile

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English fikil, fikel, from Old English ficol (“fickle, cunning, tricky, deceitful”), equivalent to fike + -le. More at fike.

From Middle English fikelen, from fikel (“fickle”); see above. Cognate with Low German fikkelen (“to deceive, flatter”), German ficklen, ficheln (“to deceive, flatter”).

Across languages

Translations

114 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: հեղհեղուկ (heġheġuk) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Belarusian: непастая́нны (njepastajánny) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Belarusian: зме́нлівы (zmjénlivy) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Bengali: খামখেয়ালী (khamkheẏali) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Bulgarian: непостоя́нен (nepostojánen) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Bulgarian: проме́нлив (proménliv) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Bulgarian: отмятащ се (otmjatašt se) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Catalan: inconstant — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Chinese Mandarin: 多變 /多变 (duōbiàn) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Chinese Mandarin: 薄情 (bóqíng) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Czech: nestálý — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Czech: přelétavý — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Czech: vrtkavý — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Danish: lunefuld — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Danish: vankelmodig — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Danish: vægelsindet — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Dutch: wispelturig — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Dutch: onbetrouwbaar — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Dutch: onbestendig — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Dutch: grillig — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Dutch: onberekenbaar — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Esperanto: nefidinda — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Finnish: ailahteleva — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Finnish: huikenteleva — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Finnish: häilyvä — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Finnish: vaihteleva — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • French: inconstant — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • French: volage — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • French: lunatique — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • French: indécis — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • French: capricieux — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Galician: antolladizo — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Galician: caprichoso — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Galician: volúbel — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • German: unbeständig — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • German: wankelmütig — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • German: wechselhaft — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • German: flatterhaft — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • German: launisch — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • German: unstet — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Greek: άστατος (ástatos) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Greek: ευμετάβλητος (evmetávlitos) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Icelandic: hverflyndur — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Icelandic: óstöðugur — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Italian: volubile — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Italian: incostante — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Italian: mutevole — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Italian: capriccioso — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Japanese: 気が多い (ki ga ōi) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Japanese: 気まぐれな (kimagure na) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Korean: 변덕(變德)스럽다 (byeondeokseureopda) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Latin: inconstans — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Latin: instabilis — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Macedonian: непо́стојан (nepóstojan) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Macedonian: про́менлив (prómenliv) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Manx: lhiam-lhiat — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vaklende — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Norwegian Bokmål: skiftende — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ubestemmelig — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vankelmodig — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Occitan: inconstant — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Occitan: lunard — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Occitan: lunatenc — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Occitan: cambiadís — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Occitan: lunatic — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Occitan: viradís — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Occitan: capriciós — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Persian: دمدمی مزاج (damdami-mezâj) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Persian: حزبِ باد (hezbe-bâd) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Portuguese: volúvel — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Portuguese: caprichoso — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Portuguese: volátil — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Romanian: capricios — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Romanian: schimbător — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Romanian: inconstant — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Russian: непостоя́нный (nepostojánnyj) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Russian: ве́треный (vétrenyj) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Russian: переме́нчивый (pereménčivyj) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Scottish Gaelic: leam-leat — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Serbo-Croatian: prevrtljiv — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Serbo-Croatian: nepostojan — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Serbo-Croatian: mušičav — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Serbo-Croatian: hirovit — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Spanish: veleidoso — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Spanish: voluble — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Swedish: ombytlig — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Swedish: nyckfull — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Tagalog: balimbing — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Turkish: caygın — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Turkish: dönek — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Turkish: kahpe — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Turkish: kaypak — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Turkish: hercai — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Ukrainian: непості́йний (nepostíjnyj) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Ukrainian: неста́лий (nestályj) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Ukrainian: мінли́вий (minlývyj) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Ukrainian: змінли́вий (zminlývyj) — quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance
  • Bengali: অস্থির (osthir) — changeable
  • Czech: nestálý — changeable
  • Dutch: veranderlijk — changeable
  • Finnish: vaihteleva — changeable
  • French: changeant — changeable
  • German: wechselhaft — changeable
  • German: unbeständig — changeable
  • German: unstet — changeable
  • Latin: inconstans — changeable
  • Macedonian: про́менлив (prómenliv) — changeable
  • Macedonian: ме́нлив (ménliv) — changeable
  • Māori: taurangi — changeable
  • Norwegian Bokmål: skiftende — changeable
  • Norwegian Bokmål: lunefull — changeable
  • Occitan: cambiadís — changeable
  • Romanian: schimbător — changeable
  • Russian: переме́нчивый (pereménčivyj) — changeable