Meaning & use
vagary
Last updated
UK/ˈveɪɡəri/
US/ˈveɪɡəri/
Meaning
nounusually plural
An unpredictable change or odd twist in something that you cannot easily control or foresee.
Grammar: Usually plural with of: the vagaries of the weather.
Patterns
- the vagaries of something
Farmers depend on the vagaries of the weather.
Investors worry about the vagaries of the market.
Nobody can predict the vagaries of fashion.
Word forms
| plural | vagaries |
|---|
Common combinations
- vagaries of the weather
- The festival is at the mercy of the vagaries of the weather.
- vagaries of fashion
- Her style ignored the vagaries of fashion.
- vagaries of the market
- The company survived the vagaries of the market.
- subject to the vagaries of
- Train times are subject to the vagaries of traffic.
- vagaries of fortune
- The family endured the vagaries of fortune for decades.
Synonyms and how they differ
- whim
- Whim is a sudden idea or wish of a person, while vagary mostly describes unpredictable outside changes.
- quirk
- Quirk is a small odd feature or habit, not a shift that is hard to plan for.
- fluctuation
- Fluctuation is a neutral word for rising and falling, with no sense of whimsy.
- caprice
- Caprice suggests a sudden, unexplained change of mood or mind, usually in a person.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: vagary or vague?
vagary vs vague
Vague means unclear or imprecise, whereas vagaries are unpredictable changes.
Practice
The picnic plans depend on the ____ of the English weather.
Choose one answer.
Vagaries means unpredictable changes, which fits weather. Vagueness means lack of clarity, vagrants are wandering people, and vacancies are empty rooms or jobs.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vagary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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