fickle — UK US /ˈfɪkl/ adjective ► likely to change suddenly and without warning: »Do Americans know how to invest in fickle markets? »The art market is as fickle and hard to predict as any other. ► likely to change your opinion or your feelings suddenly… … Financial and business terms
Fickle — Fic kle, a. [OE. fikel untrustworthy, deceitful, AS. ficol, fr. fic, gefic, fraud, deceit; cf. f[=a]cen deceit, OS. f?kn, OHG. feichan, Icel. feikn portent. Cf. {Fidget}.] Not fixed or firm; liable to change; unstable; of a changeable mind; not… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
fickle — index capricious, faithless, false (disloyal), inconsistent, irresolute, mutable, undependable, unpre … Law dictionary
fickle — c.1200, probably from O.E. ficol deceitful, cunning, tricky, related to befician deceive, and to facen deceit, treachery. Common Germanic (Cf. O.S. fekan deceit, O.H.G. feihhan deceit, fraud, treachery ), from PIE *peig evil minded, treacherous,… … Etymology dictionary
fickle — inconstant, unstable, capricious, mercurial Analogous words: Changeable, changeful, variable, protean: *fitful, spasmodic: light, light minded, frivolous, flighty, volatile (see corresponding nouns at LIGHTNESS) Antonyms: constant, *true… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
fickle — [adj] vacillating, blowing hot and cold arbitrary, capricious, changeable, cheating, coquettish, double crossing, faithless, fitful, flighty, frivolous, inconstant, irresolute, lubricious, mercurial, mutable, quicksilver, sneaking, temperamental … New thesaurus
fickle — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ changeable, especially as regards one s loyalties. DERIVATIVES fickleness noun. ORIGIN Old English, «deceitful» … English terms dictionary
fickle — [fik′əl] adj. [ME fikel < OE ficol, tricky < base of befician, to deceive, akin to gefic, betrayal, deceit: for IE base see FEY] changeable or unstable in affection, interest, loyalty, etc.; capricious SYN. INCONSTANT fickleness n … English World dictionary
fickle — fickleness, n. /fik euhl/, adj. 1. likely to change, esp. due to caprice, irresolution, or instability; casually changeable: fickle weather. 2. not constant or loyal in affections: a fickle lover. [bef. 1000; ME fikel, OE ficol deceitful, akin to … Universalium
fickle — fick•le [[t]ˈfɪk əl[/t]] adj. 1) not constant or loyal in affections 2) likely to change, esp. due to caprice, irresolution, or instability; casually changeable: fickle weather[/ex] • Etymology: bef. 1000; ME fikel, OE ficol deceitful… … From formal English to slang