mutable

mu·ta·ble

adj \ˈmyü-tə-bəl\

Definition of MUTABLE

1

: prone to change : inconstant

2

a : capable of change or of being changed b : capable of or liable to mutation

— mu·ta·bil·i·ty \ˌmyü-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

— mu·ta·bly \ˈmyü-tə-blē\ adverb

Examples of MUTABLE

1. the government's mutable economic policies
2. <a politician with very mutable positions on all the issues>

Origin of MUTABLE

Middle English, from Latin mutabilis, from mutare to change; akin to Old English mīthan to conceal, Sanskrit mināti he exchanges, deceives

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to MUTABLE

Synonyms: capricious, changeable, changeful, flickery, fluctuating, fluid, inconsistent, inconstant, mercurial, fickle, skittish, temperamental, uncertain, unpredictable, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, variable, volatile

Antonyms: certain, changeless, constant, immutable, invariable, predictable, settled, stable, stationary, steady, unchangeable, unchanging, unvarying

Related Words: aimless, arbitrary, desultory, erratic, haphazard, hit-or-miss, irregular, random, scattered, slapdash, stray; ambivalent, hesitating, shaky, shilly-shally, shilly-shallying, vacillating, wavering; dicey, undependable, unreliable, untrustworthy; adaptable, mobile, protean, versatile

Near Antonyms: equable, even, uniform; abiding, durable, lasting, permanent, persistent; dependable, reliable, sure, tried, tried-and-true, true, trustworthy, trusty

[+]more[-]hide

Other Genetics Terms

chimera, hermaphrodite, plasticity