mutable

IPA/ˈmjuːtəbl/
KK[mjˈutəbəl]IPA/ˈmjuːtəbl/

mutable — adjective

  • mutablepositive
  • more mutablecomparative
  • most mutablesuperlative

1. If something is mutable, it can change easily and does not stay the same for lon

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

If something is mutable, it can change easily and does not stay the same for long.

Example

The startup's rules were mutable, so new staff often felt confused.

be + mutable: rules can be changed

Min worked in a mutable market where prices could shift before lunch.

Common collocations
  • mutable rules
  • mutable market
  • mutable nature
  • highly mutable
Synonyms
  • changeable

    more common in everyday English and less formal

  • flexible

    often suggests a willing or useful ability to adapt

  • unstable

    stronger and more negative; suggests a lack of safety or balance

Antonyms
  • fixed

    set and not expected to change

  • stable

    not likely to change suddenly

Usage Note

Common in formal writing about rules, situations, tastes, or personal qualities that may shift over time. It is more formal than everyday words such as 'changeable'.

Common Mistakes

My yoga teacher is mutable enough to touch her toes.
My yoga teacher is flexible enough to touch her toes.
'mutable' means able to change, not able to bend.

Word family

  • mutate
    verbC1
  • mutation
    nounC1
  • mutability
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Mutable is a formal word for something that can change or be changed fairly easily. Changeable is the everyday choice for weather, moods, or plans that often shift. Flexible usually sounds more positive: it suggests a useful ability to adapt rather than simple uncertainty. Unstable is stronger and more negative, often implying risk, weakness, or a lack of control. You might say that office rules are mutable if management keeps revising them, but a person with a flexible schedule can adjust without trouble. If a bridge or a government is unstable, the problem is no longer just change but danger or unreliability.

changeable ↗flexible ↗unstable ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • mutable rules
  • mutable market
  • mutable nature

Adverbs

  • highly mutable

Phrases

  • remain mutable

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Mutable comes from a Latin word meaning 'able to change'. It entered English through French and has long been used in formal writing for things that do not stay fixed in one state.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1