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 — [[t]fɪ̱k(ə)l[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED (disapproval) If you describe someone as fickle, you disapprove of them because they keep changing their mind about what they like or want. The group has been notoriously fickle in the past. Syn: capricious Derived … English dictionary
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
