fickle nature
- noun
:
naturaleza caprichosa
- My hunch is that Silver does as well as anyone, given so many unknowns that cannot be known, not the least of which is the fickle nature of undecided voters who might en masse switch allegiance the day of the election.
Examples
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We are reminded of the fickle nature of the weather.
Academic text (2010) -
But these few examples demonstrate the fickle nature of legislative history.
Academic text (2017) -
True to its fickle nature, London society had spurned all things French except for their fashions.
Fiction book (1994) -
The fickle nature of friendship can lead to unexpected surprises and disappointments.
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Her fickle nature made it difficult to trust her opinions on anything.
-
He learned to accept her fickle nature, often changing her mind about plans at the last minute.
Synonyms
1
7.3
A habit of changing feelings or promises so people cannot trust someone
1
8.6
A tendency to change feelings or opinions and not stay loyal
1
8.9
A pattern of sudden, unpredictable changes in mood or plans
1
7.9
A movement that changes direction or strength and is hard to predict
A tendency to change plans or feelings suddenly without thinking
A quality of becoming different often and without warning
How often something becomes different, like the weather
A habit of changing your mind, feelings, or plans
A person whose mood or attitude changes quickly without warning
How Changeable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'fickle' (changeable, inconstant) with 'nature' (a person's disposition); a learner who knows both words can infer 'an inconsistent or changeable character'. This is a regular adjective+noun composition seen across languages and follows straightforward compositional semantics, so it is predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase fickle nature gives the image of nature changing like the weather, and fickle means quick to change. So, someone with a fickle nature often changes their mind, feelings, or loyalties and is 'inconsistent' or 'changeable'.