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variable
[ vair-ee-uh-buhl ]
adjective
- apt or liable to vary or change; changeable: variable moods.
variable weather;
variable moods.
Antonyms: constant
- capable of being varied or changed; alterable:
a variable time limit for completion of a book.
a variable lover.
Synonyms: mercurial, unsteady, vacillating
Antonyms: constant
- having much variation or diversity.
- Biology. deviating from the usual type, as a species or a specific character.
- Astronomy. (of a star) changing in brightness.
- Meteorology. (of wind) tending to change in direction.
- Mathematics. having the nature or characteristics of a variable.
noun
- something that may or does vary or change; a variable feature or factor.
- Mathematics, Computers.
- a quantity or function that may assume any given value or set of values.
- a symbol that represents this.
- Logic. (in the functional calculus) a symbol for an unspecified member of a class of things or statements. Compare bound variable, free variable.
- Astronomy. variable star.
- Meteorology.
- a shifting wind, especially as distinguished from a trade wind.
- variables, doldrums ( def 2a ).
variable
/ ˈvɛərɪəbəl /
adjective
- liable to or capable of change
variable weather
- (of behaviour, opinions, emotions, etc) lacking constancy; fickle
- maths having a range of possible values
- (of a species, characteristic, etc) liable to deviate from the established type
- (of a wind) varying its direction and intensity
- (of an electrical component or device) designed so that a characteristic property, such as resistance, can be varied
variable capacitor
noun
- something that is subject to variation
- maths
- an expression that can be assigned any of a set of values
- a symbol, esp x, y, or z, representing an unspecified member of a class of objects, numbers, etc See also dependent variable independent variable
- logic a symbol, esp x, y, z, representing any member of a class of entities
- computing a named unit of storage that can be changed to any of a set of specified values during execution of a program
- See variable starastronomy See variable star
- a variable wind
- plural a region where variable winds occur
variable
/ vâr′ē-ə-bəl /
- A mathematical quantity capable of assuming any of a set of values, such as x in the expression 3 x + 2.
- A factor or condition that is subject to change, especially one that is allowed to change in a scientific experiment to test a hypothesis.
- See more at control
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Derived Forms
- ˌvariaˈbility, noun
- ˈvariably, adverb
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Other Words From
- var·i·a·bil·i·ty [vair-ee-, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], var·i·a·ble·ness noun
- var·i·a·bly adverb
- hy·per·var·i·a·ble adjective
- hy·per·var·i·a·bly adverb
- non·var·i·a·ble adjective
- non·var·i·a·ble·ness noun
- non·var·i·a·bly adverb
- un·var·i·a·ble adjective
- un·var·i·a·ble·ness noun
- un·var·i·a·bly adverb
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of variable1
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Example Sentences
But turnout tends to be far more variable in a midterm election and modeling become far difficult.
Researchers acknowledged that some unknown variable might be responsible.
AirBnB allows for connections: host to guest, guest to city, and any other variable you can think of.
This uncertainty explains why the forecast, while optimistic, is highly variable.
Throughout the process the program throws in random changes in a command or variable— these are mutations.
It is small in cloudy swelling from toxins and drugs, and variable in renal tuberculosis and neoplasms.
Its disadvantage is that it introduces, with the bread, a variable amount of lactic acid and numerous yeast-cells.
Streptococci are arranged side by side, forming chains of variable length (Fig. 114).
After anchoring the wind was variable and light from the western quarter but during the night there was a heavy swell.
We have done nothing but sail on with very variable weather, for the last thirteen days.
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