variable

[ vair-ee-uh-buhl ]

/ ˈvɛər i ə bəl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR variable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

apt or liable to vary or change; changeable: variable weather; variable moods.

capable of being varied or changed; alterable: a variable time limit for completion of a book.

inconstant; fickle: a variable lover.

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).

Origin of variable

1350–1400; late Middle English < Latin variābilis, equivalent to vari(us) various + -ābilis -able

SYNONYMS FOR variable

3 vacillating, wavering, fluctuating, unsteady, mercurial.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR variable ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR variable

1, 3 constant.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR variable ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM variable

var·i·a·bil·i·ty, var·i·a·ble·ness, noun var·i·a·bly, adverb hy·per·var·i·a·bil·i·ty, noun hy·per·var·i·a·ble, adjective

hy·per·var·i·a·bly, adverb non·var·i·a·bil·i·ty, noun 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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH variable

boundary limit parameter variable (see synonym study at boundary) (see usage note at parameter) variable variant

Words nearby variable

vargueno, vari, vari-, varia, varia lectio, variable, variable annuity, variable contrast paper, variable cost, variable life insurance, variable region

Example sentences from the Web for variable

AirBnB allows for connections: host to guest, guest to city, and any other variable you can think of.

My Life as an Illegal AirBnb Landlord |Anonymous |June 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Throughout the process the program throws in random changes in a command or variable— these are mutations.

This is What Happens When You Teach Machines the Power of Natural Selection |James Barrat |February 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
This allowed them to isolate the variable under study: receipt of multivitamins.

How Lobbyists Will Keep You Hooked on Vitamins |Paul A. Offit |December 21, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Environmental lead abatement does a better job of explaining the crime decrease than almost any other variable.

Eric Holder’s Decision to Back Away From Mandatory Drug Sentences Is a Positive Step |Jamelle Bouie |August 12, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

Vosshall designed her pilot study to weed out this variable.

Mosquitoes Love Some People More and Science Wants to Know Why |Josh Dzieza |August 6, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The phenomenon of variable motion is not, however, peculiar to the red spot.

Other Worlds |Garrett P. Serviss
Ghosts are variable with respect to sounds as well as appearance.

The Supernatural in Modern English Fiction |Dorothy Scarborough
The annual rings are variable in width, and the proportionate amounts of springwood and summerwood also vary.

American Forest Trees |Henry H. Gibson
Minute variations of the function are proportional to minute variations of the variable.

The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method |Henri Poincar
Individual yield is so variable that a large number of snakes must be milked in order to determine the average yield.

Natural History of Cottonmouth Moccasin, Agkistrodon piscovorus (Reptilia) |Ray D. Burkett

British Dictionary definitions for variable

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, etcSee 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

astronomy See variable star

a variable wind

(plural) a region where variable winds occur

Derived forms of variable

variability or variableness, noun variably, adverb

Word Origin for variable

C14: from Latin variābilis changeable, from variāre to diversify

Medical definitions for variable

variable

[ vâr′ē-ə-bəl, văr′- ]

adj.

Likely to change or vary; subject to variation; changeable.

Tending to deviate, as from a normal or recognized type; aberrant.

Having no fixed quantitative value.

n.

Something that varies or that is prone to variation.

A quantity that is capable of assuming any of a set of values.

Scientific definitions for variable

variable

[ vâr′ē-ə-bəl ]

A mathematical quantity capable of assuming any of a set of values, such as x in the expression 3x + 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.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

variable

adjective

noun

Origin of variable

SYNONYMS FOR variable

ANTONYMS FOR variable

OTHER WORDS FROM variable

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH variable

Words nearby variable

Example sentences from the Web for variable

British Dictionary definitions for variable

adjective

noun

Derived forms of variable

Word Origin for variable

Medical definitions for variable

adj.

n.

Scientific definitions for variable

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

variable

adjective

noun

Origin of variable

SYNONYMS FOR variable

ANTONYMS FOR variable

OTHER WORDS FROM variable

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH variable

Words nearby variable

Words related to variable

Example sentences from the Web for variable

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for variable

adjective

noun

Derived forms of variable

Word Origin for variable

Medical definitions for variable

adj.

n.

Scientific definitions for variable

British Dictionary definitions for variable