Vagaries are unexpected and unpredictable changes in a situation or in someone's behaviour which you have no control over.
[formal]
I take an assortment of clothes on holiday, as a provision against the vagaries ofthe weather.
...the perplexing vagaries of politics. [+ of]
Synonyms: whim, caprice, unpredictability, sport More Synonyms of vagary
vagary in British English
(ˈveɪɡərɪ, vəˈɡɛərɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-garies
an erratic or outlandish notion or action; whim
Word origin
C16: probably from Latin vagārī to roam; compare Latin vagusvague
vagary in American English
(ˈveɪgəri; vəˈgɛri; ˈveɪˈgæri)
nounWord forms: pluralvaˈgaries
1.
an odd, eccentric, or unexpected action or bit of conduct
2.
an odd, whimsical, or freakish idea or notion; oddity; caprice
SIMILAR WORDS: caˈprice
Word origin
earlier used as a v., to wander < L vagari, to wander < vagus: see vague
Examples of 'vagary' in a sentence
vagary
Philosophy is no less given to the vagaries of fashion than other subjects in the humanities.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The earnings are notoriously lumpy and can be upset by the vagaries of the weather.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
But he points to the vagaries of a system that demands a huge amount from head teachers.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
And those who predicted that the thong would remain the same did not count on the vagaries of fashion.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
But they do their own thing regardless of the vagaries of fashion - and quite right too.
The Sun (2010)
Besides, far more important than the vagaries of fashion is what suits you.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Ah, the vagaries of literary fashion.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Members would quickly learn how vulnerable farms were to the vagaries of the weather, he said.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Forget the weather and its vagaries for in this mother of all sporting summers you shall be spending much of your time indoors.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Agriculture was dependent on the vagaries of the weather and Zimbabwe suffered from some long droughts.
Grenville, J. A. S. The Collins History of the World in the 20th Century (1994)
At this point, her story collided with the vagaries of the system.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
You are dealing with wild animals subject to the vagaries of the weather, disease and breeding patterns.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Economists now fear that the vagaries of the weather could wreck a national economy that has weathered the financial storms of the global credit crisis relatively unscathed.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The bus system embodies the vagaries of fortune, and dealing with fortune has always been definitive of what it means to be human.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
A Antiques are indeed affected by the vagaries of fashion.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The panel mostly thought it would be outrageous if Labour won the least support yet still emerged in power thanks to the vagaries of the system.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They can get it as wrong as they please and nobody bats an eyelid, such are the vagaries of British weather.
The Sun (2006)
In other languages
vagary
British English: vagary NOUN
Vagaries are unexpected and unpredictable changes in a situation or in someone's behaviour which you have no control over.
...the perplexing vagaries of politics.
American English: vagary
Brazilian Portuguese: extravagância
Chinese: 不可捉摸的
European Spanish: capricho
French: aléa
German: Laune
Italian: capriccio
Japanese: 予測のつかない変動
Korean: 엉뚱한 짓
European Portuguese: extravagância
Latin American Spanish: capricho
(noun)
Definition
an unpredictable change in a situation or in someone's behaviour
a coat as a provision against the vagaries of the weatherprotection against operational vagaries
Synonyms
whim
We decided, more or less on a whim, to sail to Morocco.
caprice
Dash had always been indulged in every caprice.
unpredictability
sport
urge
He had an urge to open a shop of his own.
fancy
His interest was just a passing fancy.
notion
I had a whimsical notion to fly off to Rio that night.
humour
impulse
I resisted an impulse to smile.
quirk
the quirks and foibles of people in everyday situations
conceit (archaic)
the conceit that God has placed the creature of His image in the center of the cosmos
whimsy
crotchet
sudden notion
megrim (archaic)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of caprice
Definition
a sudden change of attitude or behaviour
Dash had always been indulged in every caprice.
Synonyms
whim,
notion,
impulse,
freak,
fad,
quirk,
vagary,
whimsy,
humour,
fancy,
fickleness,
inconstancy,
fitfulness,
changeableness
in the sense of conceit
the conceit that God has placed the creature of His image in the center of the cosmos
Synonyms
fancy,
thought,
idea,
opinion,
belief,
notion,
fantasy,
judgment,
vagary,
whimsy
in the sense of fancy
Definition
a sudden or irrational liking for a person or thing
His interest was just a passing fancy.
Synonyms
whim,
thought,
idea,
desire,
urge,
notion,
humour,
impulse,
inclination,
caprice
Nearby words of
vagary
vacuous
vacuum
vagabond
vagary
vagina
vagrancy
vagrant
Synonyms of 'vagary'
vagary
Explore 'vagary' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of humour
Synonyms
whim,
mood,
fancy,
bent,
bias,
freak,
quirk,
propensity,
vagary
in the sense of impulse
Definition
an instinctive drive
I resisted an impulse to smile.
Synonyms
urge,
longing,
desire,
drive,
wish,
fancy,
notion,
yen (informal),
instinct,
yearning,
inclination,
itch,
whim,
compulsion,
caprice
in the sense of notion
Definition
a whim
I had a whimsical notion to fly off to Rio that night.
Synonyms
whim,
wish,
desire,
fancy,
impulse,
inclination,
caprice
in the sense of quirk
Definition
a peculiarity of character
the quirks and foibles of people in everyday situations