Thesaurus article: always becoming different

always becoming different

These words are used to describe people or things that are always becoming different.

Changing is one of the common words for this. It is used of things that are in a state of becoming different. Changing is often used before a noun.

We must navigate changing attitudes about women in leadership.

Technology is a rapidly changing field.

The changing demographics of the city were reflected in the latest election results.

The opposite of changing is unchanging. Unchanging is more common than changing.

She was not admitted into his unchanging inner circle of friends.

He loved the rocky and unchanging landscape of the high peaks.

If someone or something changes often, you can use the adjective changeable. When a person is called changeable, it generally refers to their opinions, moods, or behaviours.

British weather is notoriously changeable.

The electorate has been remarkably changeable this season.

If something is varied, it changes between several different types of things.

He has had a rich and varied career.

Internet radio stations play much more varied music than commercial radio stations do.

The children should be fed a varied, balanced diet.

Situations, ideas, or plans that are likely to change, especially repeatedly and unexpectedly, can be described as fluid.

Our travel plans are fluid because of the train strike.

The military situation on the ground was fluid.

If something is constantly changing or developing because it is that thing's nature, you can call it dynamic. Dynamic is often used in business or technical writing.

The Japanese economy is much more dynamic than our own.

The universe is dynamic and always expanding.

The opposite of dynamic is static.

Oil prices have remained static for weeks.

Language is never static, but is always changing.

Mutable is a formal word used to describe things that are likely to change.

The mutable Seattle weather charmed her.

Isn't the nature of love that it is mutable?

The opposite of mutable is immutable. Immutable is also formal, and it implies that something does not change because it cannot. Immutable is more commonly used than mutable.

Are there certain and immutable characteristics that define heroism?

It is an immutable law of nature.

Variable is used especially in financial or technical writing to describe something that is made to change.

Your credit card has a variable interest rate between 15 per cent and 25 per cent.

The opposite of the financial term variable is fixed.

The rate of change is fixed at 2.3 per cent.

Our mortgage has a fixed interest rate.

A behaviour or quality that changes when it should stay the same is inconsistent. Inconsistent is often used disapprovingly.

His schoolwork was quite inconsistent.

We tested different search engines with the same set of keywords, and the results were wildly inconsistent.

The witness statements about what happened that night are inconsistent with the victim's statement.

The opposite of inconsistent is consistent.

She has made consistent improvement in her studies.

They test their recipes thoroughly so the results are consistent every time.

If someone or something is fickle, they are likely to change quickly and without warning or good reason. Fickle is a disapproving word.

The weather on the hilltop is notoriously fickle, sunny one moment and snowing the next.

Fans can be fickle - don't expect them to love every album by an artist.

If someone or something is volatile, they change suddenly and unexpectedly, and usually become worse. When people are described as volatile, they usually become worse by getting very angry.

The situation in the war zone is highly volatile.

Markets are volatile this morning after the Prime Minister announced his resignation.

He's always been volatile and quick-tempered.

In literary contexts, the word mercurial is used of people who change moods, opinions, or behaviours rapidly.

He was a petty and mercurial tyrant, imprisoning advisors on a whim.

Capricious is also used in literary contexts to refer to a person who changes their mood or behaviour suddenly and unexpectedly.

Most children are capricious, crying one moment and delighted the next.

to make different