Inconstancies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Variability or lack of consistency in actions, thoughts, or feelings
2. The quality of being prone to change, often unexpectedly, which can lead to unpredictability in behavior or outcomes
3. Instances of changing loyalties, opinions, or standards, revealing a fickle or unreliable nature

Etymology: Latin "constare" meant "to stand firm" or "to stand together," built from "com-" and "stare," "to stand." Its adjective "constans" described something steady and fixed in place. Adding the negative prefix "in-" gave "inconstans," literally "not standing firm," and the English noun "inconstancy" comes from the Old French "inconstance," which descends from that Latin noun. English "constant" and "constancy" share the same root, so the word is the negative of a common, everyday virtue. The plural "inconstancies" is the countable form of the abstract noun "inconstancy." It treats each lapse of loyalty, opinion, or principle as a separate event, so a person's "inconstancies" are the specific occasions when they wavered.

Synonyms: variabilities, unreliabilities, instabilities, fluctuations, irregularities

Antonyms: consistencies, stabilities, regularities, uniformities, steadiness