fickle

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈfɪk.əl/, X-SAMPA: /fIk.@l/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ɪkəl

Etymology 1

From Middle English fikil, fikil, from Old English ficol (“fickle, cunning, tricky , deceitful”), equivalent to fike +‎ -le. More at fike.

Adjective

fickle (comparative fickler or more fickle, superlative ficklest or most fickle)

1. Quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance; insincere; not loyal or reliable.

Derived terms

• fickleness
• fickly

Translations

quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance

• Armenian: հեղհեղուկ (hy) (hełhełuk)
• Bulgarian: непостоянен (bg) (nepostojanen), променлив (bg) (promenliv), отмятащ се (bg) (otmjatašt se)
• Catalan: inconstant (ca)
• Danish: lunefuld (da), vankelmodig (da), vægelsindet (da)
• Dutch: wispelturig (nl), onbetrouwbaar (nl)
• Esperanto: nefidinda (eo)
• Finnish: ailahteleva (fi), huikenteleva (fi), häilyvä (fi), vaihteleva (fi)
• French: inconstant (fr)
• German: unbeständig (de), wankelmütig (de)

• Italian: volubile (it)
• Persian: دمدمی مزاج (fa) (damdami-mezâj)
• Portuguese: volúvel (pt), caprichoso (pt), volátil (pt)
• Russian: непостоянный (ru) (nepostojánnyj) , переменчивый (ru) (pereménčivyj) m 
• Scottish Gaelic: leam-leat (gd)
• Serbo-Croatian: prevrtljiv (sh), nepostojan (sh), prevrtljiv (sh), mušičav (sh), hirovit (sh)
• Spanish: inconstante (es), voluble (es), pendular (es)
• Tagalog: balimbing (tl)

Etymology 2

From Middle English fikelen, from fikel (“fickle”); see above. Cognate with Low German fikkelen (“to deceive, flatter”), German ficklen, ficheln (“to deceive, flatter”).

Verb

fickle (third-person singular simple present fickles, present participle fickling, simple past and past participle fickled)

1. (transitive) To deceive; flatter.
2. (transitive, UK dialectal) To puzzle; perplex; nonplus.