caprice

[kuh-prees]

noun

1. a sudden, unpredictable change, as of one's mind or the weather.

   Synonyms: fancy, whim, notion, vagary

2. a tendency to change one's mind without apparent or adequate motive; whimsicality; capriciousness.

   With the caprice of a despotic king, he alternated between kindness and cruelty.

3. Music.,  capriccio.

caprice

/ kəˈpriːs /

noun

1. a sudden or unpredictable change of attitude, behaviour, etc; whim

2. a tendency to such changes

3. another word for capriccio

Word History and Origins

Origin of caprice¹

First recorded in 1660–70; from French, from Italian; capriccio

Word History and Origins

Origin of caprice¹

C17: from French, from Italian capriccio a shiver, caprice, from capo head + riccio hedgehog, suggesting a convulsive shudder in which the hair stood on end like a hedgehog's spines; meaning also influenced by Italian capra goat, by folk etymology

Example Sentences

The justices should have known their instructions would fall on intentionally occluded ears, because this president is full of caprice, among other things.

From Salon

There are plenty of times you don't want to be exposed to the individual prejudices and caprices of human beings.

From Salon

She relished the indomitable nature of our quirks and caprices, their capacity to survive even egregious catastrophe.

From Los Angeles Times

“Marie-Jeanne became a way to think about the private Fanon,” Shatz said, “his vanity and contradictions, his caprice and his warmth. I felt that through her I could offer a more humane portrait.”

From Los Angeles Times

They’re long accustomed to caprices of Mother Nature that can spoil an entire alfalfa cutting with a downpour or generate an especially big yield with a string of blistering days.

From Seattle Times