fickle

/ˈfɪkl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfɪkl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfi-kəl/ (ame, mw)

fickle — adjective

  • ficklepositive
  • ficklercomparative
  • ficklestsuperlative

1. describes a person, feeling, or kind of support that shifts quickly for no clear

1.形容詞C1
釋義

describes a person, feeling, or kind of support that shifts quickly for no clear reason, so it cannot be trusted to stay the same.

例句

Public support for the singer grew fickle after the scandal broke online.

collocation: fickle support

The mayor lost voters because the campaign's fickle promises changed every month.

同義詞
  • changeable

    broader and more neutral; it does not always imply blame

  • capricious

    more formal and suggests sudden, unreasonable turns

  • flighty

    informal and often criticizes a person as not serious

反義詞
  • loyal

    stays with the same person, side, or cause

  • constant

    more formal; emphasizes not changing over time

  • dependable

    focuses on trustworthiness rather than emotions

文法句型

fickle support

fickle loyalty

be fickle

用法筆記

Usually describes people, tastes, loyalties, or public support. Distinguish from sense 2, which is used for weather, luck, markets, and other changing situations rather than a person's character.

常見錯誤

❌The website is fickle today.
✅The website is unstable today.
💡For technology that keeps working and failing, English usually uses 'unstable' or 'unreliable' rather than the person-centered sense of 'fickle'.

2. used for weather, luck, markets, and similar situations that change fast in unex

2.形容詞C1
釋義

used for weather, luck, markets, and similar situations that change fast in unexpected ways, often ruining plans or making results uncertain.

例句

Fickle mountain weather forced Christopher to turn back before the summit.

collocation: fickle weather

The team's picnic failed because the fickle spring rain kept returning.

同義詞
  • unpredictable

    the most general alternative for weather or results that change suddenly

  • unstable

    suggests a risk of sharp shifts or failure

  • variable

    more neutral and common in technical contexts

反義詞
  • stable

    stays at a similar level or state

  • steady

    emphasizes regularity without sharp turns

  • settled

    often used for weather or conditions that have stopped changing

文法句型

fickle weather

fickle luck

be fickle

用法筆記

Common with nouns such as weather, luck, fortune, and prices. Unlike sense 1, this use describes an unstable situation, not a person's shifting feelings or loyalty.