capricious
adjective
-ˈprē-
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Caprice and Capricious
The adjective capricious and its close relation, the noun caprice (a synonym of whim), both come via French from the Italian word capriccio, which has disputed origins. Capriccio originally referred not to a sudden desire but to a sudden shiver of horror and likely comes from the Italian capo, meaning “head,” and riccio, the word for “hedgehog.” The implication was that someone who shuddered in fear or horror was said to have a “hedgehog head,” meaning that the person’s hair stood on end like the spines of a hedgehog. The link between a whim and a shiver of horror is notably tenuous, though, and a possible link to Italian capra, meaning “goat,” has also been suggested, given the whimsy goats seem to employ in their gamboling. (Here is a full treatment of the disputed etymology.) Whatever its origins, capriccio came to mean “whim, fancy,” which directly relates to its uses today. Something done in a capricious manner is done on a whim, as in “a capricious decision to join the circus.”
Synonyms
Examples of capricious in a Sentence
Tom Morganthau, Newsweek, 29 Mar. 1999
She is capricious, however, and is said to take bribes and wantonly peddle her influence from time to time.
—Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 1994
Lady Luck is a capricious mother who, as in a recurrent nightmare, always offers, never comes through, and never stops smiling.
—Hugh Drummond, Boston Magazine, November 1989
I don't believe in random occurrences or blind chance, though I know the patterns of this world are capricious and terribly complex.
—Leslie Marmon Silko, letter, 21 Aug. 1979
employees who are at the mercy of a capricious manager
The court ruled that the punishment was arbitrary and capricious.
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 4 Sep. 2024
So long as the organization is neither arbitrary nor capricious in applying membership rules, that application usually passes legal muster.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Aug. 2024
Although a winding down of zero COVID was long overdue, the government’s December 7 decision immediately went awry because of the capricious and reckless way it was implemented.
—Yanzhong Huang, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2023
Read: Demon mode activated Musk is capricious and said as much in his second email to me.
—Damon Beres, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for capricious 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'capricious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Capricious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capricious. Accessed 16 Sep. 2024.
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capricious
adjective
-ˈprē-shəs
Legal Definition
capricious
adjective
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