capricious
given to sudden changes of mood
Roots
- -ous / -ious: full of or marked by a quality
- capric / caprice: whim, sudden change, or unpredictable impulse
Other words with the capric / caprice root
- caprice: a sudden whim or unpredictable change of mind
Capricious behavior runs on caprice: sudden whims, quick reversals, and choices that do not feel governed by reason.
The capricious manager praised the plan on Monday and rejected it on Tuesday.
Capricious is not just changeable. Change can be reasonable. Capricious change feels ruled by whim: the weather turns, the boss changes mood, the rule shifts, and nobody can predict why.
Use caprice as the doorway. A caprice is a sudden whim; capricious is what a person, mood, or system becomes when whim keeps taking the wheel.