fickle

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈfɪk.əl/, SAMPA: /fIk.@l/

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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 more fickle, superlative 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

Catalan: inconstant (ca) Danish: lunefuld (da), vankelmodig (da), vægelsindet (da) Dutch: wispelturig (nl), onbetrouwbaar (nl) Esperanto: nefidinda (eo) Finnish: huikenteleva (fi), häilyvä (fi), vaihteleva (fi) French: inconstant (fr) German: unbeständig (de), wankelmütig (de)

Italian: volubile (it) Portuguese: inconstante (pt) m. and f. Russian: непостоянный (ru) Scottish Gaelic: leam-leat (gd) Serbo-Croatian: prevrtljiv (sh), nepostojan (sh), prevrtljiv (sh), mušičav (sh), hirovit (sh) Spanish: inconstante (es) m. and f., voluble (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.