Basic Details
Word: Capricious
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Changing mood or behaviour suddenly and without a clear reason.
Synonyms: fickle, changeable, unpredictable, moody
Antonyms: steady, constant, consistent, stable
Word origin: Comes through French from Italian capriccio, 'a sudden change of mind'.
How to Spell Capricious
Syllables: ca - pri - cious
Tricky part: The ending is -cious, as in delicious, and the vowel after r is i. Capritious and capricous are common slips.
Watch out for: capricous, caprisious, capritious
Memory tip: Hidden inside is Capri, an island name, followed by cious, the ending of delicious: Capri + cious.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The capricious wind kept changing direction during the kite festival.
Example 2: A capricious boss makes it hard for workers to plan their day.
Example 3: Our cat is capricious: one minute she purrs, the next she scratches.
Fun Fact
Shakespeare used capricious in As You Like It, where the jester Touchstone applies it to the Roman poet Ovid while talking about goats.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word capricious as used in the sentence:
The capricious weather in the hills changed from sunshine to hail within an hour.
a) fickle
b) unpredictable
c) steady
d) changeable
Show answer
c) steady. Fickle, unpredictable and changeable all describe capricious weather; steady means it stays the same.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the correctly spelt word:
1. capricious 2. jelousy 3. temprament 4. unpredictible
a) a person's usual nature
b) not able to be known in advance
c) changing mood or behaviour suddenly
d) a feeling of being upset that someone has what you want
Show answer
c) changing mood or behaviour suddenly. Temperament has an e after p, unpredictable ends -able and jealousy has ea; capricious is correct.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
The ruler was so ricoucisap that his ministers never knew what to expect.
a) capricious
b) precious
c) auspicious
d) suspicious
Show answer
a) capricious. The jumble has only one s and no e, so suspicious, auspicious and precious are all ruled out.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to complete the word:
capr_c_ous
a) a, i
b) e, i
c) i, e
d) i, i
Show answer
d) i, i. Both gaps take i: capri, then the -cious ending.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A capricious friend is someone who ____.
a) never changes their mind
b) changes plans without warning
c) is always on time
d) keeps every promise
Show answer
b) changes plans without warning
2. Which noun is related to capricious?
a) capsule
b) caption
c) caprice
d) captain
Show answer
c) caprice
