We explain what something fickle is, its literal and metaphorical use and origin of the term. Also, its connotations and antonyms.
What is fickle?
When we call something fickle, or talk about the fickleness of something, we are meaning that It is something inconstant, unstable, that is, it changes very often and in an unpredictable way.. Volatile people, for example, are those who have an easily changing, ethereal, little-rooted personality, and therefore it is difficult to specify in the long term what they are like and what they like.
This adjective comes from Latin volubiliswhich means “that rotates or twists”, “rotating” or “changing”, since it comes from the verb I will return“roll up” or “turn around”, from which the Spanish verb “envolver” also comes, for example. This historical origin explains why in the field of botany, fickle is still used to refer to plants whose stem tends to curl or tangle around something, as is the case with vines.
So, in general, we use the term fickle to refer to something that goes around, but figuratively. That is, metaphorically. For example, a fickle personality, as we said before, is one that changes opinions, habits and ways of being easily, which does not necessarily mean that that person suffers from any disease (such as cyclothymia or bipolarity).
Similarly, a fickle commitment is one that is not always fulfilled, or is fulfilled at times; and a fickle love, likewise, is one that is not firmly anchored in the heart, but comes and goes quickly. As will be seen, the volubility in our culture It is associated with what is unreliable, what is not durable, what has few ties and little firmness..
Therefore, the adjectives are antonyms for fickle: firm, faithful, constant, tenacious, persistent, loyal, determined.
Continue with: Ambivalent
References
- “Vuluble” in the Dictionary of the language of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Vuluble” (video) in the AXN Dictionary.
- “Etymology of voluble” in Etymologies de Chile.net.
