Standard Lemma guide

fluctuation

noun · 6 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.

  • /flʌkt͡ʃuːˈeɪʃən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: F L AH2 K CH UW0 EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A motion like that of waves; a moving in this and that direction; an irregular rising and falling.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • the fluctuations of the sea

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A wavering; unsteadiness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • fluctuations of opinion
  • fluctuations of prices

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

In medicine, a wave-like motion or undulation of a fluid in a natural or abnormal cavity (e.g. pus in an abscess), which is felt during palpation or percussion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the quality of being unsteady and subject to changes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he kept a record of price fluctuations

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: wavering

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: irregularity, unregularity

Narrower terms: scintillation

5

noun

Meaning 5

an instance of change; the rate or magnitude of change

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: variation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change, alteration, modification

Narrower terms: vicissitude, allomerism, deviation, divergence, departure, difference, substitution, permutation, transposition, replacement, switch, business cycle, trade cycle, daily variation, diurnal variation, tide

6

noun

Meaning 6

a wave motion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the fluctuations of the sea

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: wave, undulation

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fluctuatiōnem, accusative singular of fluctuatiō, from fluctuō, from fluctus. Morphologically fluctuate + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

52 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَأْرْجُح (taʔrjuḥ) — wavelike motion
  • Arabic: تَقَلُّب (taqallub) — wavelike motion
  • Catalan: fluctuació — wavelike motion
  • Chinese Mandarin: 波動 /波动 (bōdòng) — wavelike motion
  • Esperanto: fluktuado — wavelike motion
  • Finnish: heilahtelu — wavelike motion
  • Finnish: huojunta — wavelike motion
  • French: fluctuation — wavelike motion
  • German: Schwankung — wavelike motion
  • Hungarian: hullámzás — wavelike motion
  • Japanese: 波動 (hadō) — wavelike motion
  • Polish: wahanie — wavelike motion
  • Polish: falowanie — wavelike motion
  • Portuguese: flutuação — wavelike motion
  • Portuguese: ondulação — wavelike motion
  • Russian: колеба́ние (kolebánije) — wavelike motion
  • Spanish: fluctuación — wavelike motion
  • Ukrainian: колива́ння (kolyvánnja) — wavelike motion
  • Ukrainian: флукту́ація (fluktúacija) — wavelike motion
  • Arabic: تَذَبذُب — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Arabic: تَقَلُّب (taqallub) — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Bulgarian: колебание (kolebanie) — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Bulgarian: флуктуация (fluktuacija) — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Catalan: fluctuació — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Chinese Mandarin: 變動 /变动 (biàndòng) — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Czech: fluktuace — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Danish: fluktuation — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Dutch: schommeling — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Esperanto: fluktuado — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Finnish: heilahtelu — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Finnish: huojunta — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Finnish: vaihtelu — wavering; unsteadiness
  • French: fluctuation — wavering; unsteadiness
  • German: Schwankung — wavering; unsteadiness
  • German: Fluktuation — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Hungarian: ingadozás — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Hungarian: fluktuáció — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Hungarian: fluktuálás — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Hungarian: hullámzás — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Irish: luaineacht — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Japanese: 増減 (zōgen) — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Japanese: 変動 (hendō) — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Japanese: ばらつき (baratsuki) — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Polish: fluktuacja — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Polish: wahanie — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Portuguese: flutuação — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Russian: колеба́ние (kolebánije) — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Russian: неусто́йчивость (neustójčivostʹ) — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Spanish: fluctuación — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Turkish: dalgalanma — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Ukrainian: колива́ння (kolyvánnja) — wavering; unsteadiness
  • Ukrainian: флукту́ація (fluktúacija) — wavering; unsteadiness