variable

See also: Variable

English

Etymology

Borrowed into Middle English in the 14th century from Old French variable, from Latin variare (“to change”), from varius (“different, various”). Equates to English vary +‎ -able.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): [ˈvɛə.ɹi.ə.bl̩]
• (US, without the Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): [ˈvæɹ.i.ə.bl̩]
• (US, Canada, Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): [ˈvɛɹ.i.ə.bl̩]

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

  • Audio (Texas):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): [ˈveː.ɹi.ə.bl̩]

Adjective

variable (comparative more variable, superlative most variable)

1. Able to vary or be varied.

   Synonyms: alterable, flexible, changeable, mutable; see also Thesaurus:mutable

   Antonyms: constant, invariable, immutable, unalterable, unchangeable; see also Thesaurus:immutable

   variable winds or seasons; a variable quantity; a variable resistor

2. Likely to vary.

   Synonyms: fickle, fluctuating, inconstant, shifting, unstable, unsteady; see also Thesaurus:unsteady, Thesaurus:changeable

   Antonyms: constant, invariable, immutable, unchangeable; see also Thesaurus:steady, Thesaurus:changeless

   • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

     Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.

3. Marked by diversity or difference.

   Synonyms: varying; see also Thesaurus:heterogeneous

   Antonyms: unchanging; see also Thesaurus:homogeneous

4. (mathematics) Having no fixed quantitative value.

   Antonyms: constant, invariable

5. (biology) Tending to deviate from a normal or recognized type.

   Synonym: aberrant

Synonyms

• capricious
• changeful
• fickle
• fitful
• flexible
• fluctuating
• fluid
• iffy
• inconstant
• irregular
• mercurial
• mobile
• mutable
• protean
• shifting
• shifty
• slippery
• spasmodic
• temperamental
• ticklish
• uncertain
• unequable
• unsettled
• unstable
• unsteady
• vacillating
• volatile
• waffling
• wavering
• yo-yo

Derived terms

• continuous variable valve timing
• controlled variable time
• multivariable
• variability
• variabilize
• variable antshrike
• variable binding
• variable cam timing
• variable cost
• variable font
• variable geometry
• variableness
• variable squirrel
• variable sweep
• variable tandem repeat locus
• variable valve timing

Translations

able to vary

• Asturian: variable
• Azerbaijani: dəyişkən (az)
• Bulgarian: променлив (bg) (promenliv), изменчив (bg) (izmenčiv)
• Catalan: variable (ca)
• Czech: proměnlivý (cs), variabilní, proměnný
• Dutch: veranderlijk (nl), variabel (nl), regelbaar (nl)
• Finnish: vaihteleva (fi), muuttuva (fi)
• French: variable (fr)
• Galician: variable (gl), variábel (gl)
• Georgian: ცვალებადი (cvalebadi)
• German: variabel (de)
• Greek: ευμετάβλητος (el) m (evmetávlitos), άστατος (el) m (ástatos), ευμετάβολος (el) m (evmetávolos)
• Hungarian: változó (hu)
• Italian: variabile (it), regolabile (it), flessiblie, modificabile (it)
• Japanese: 可変 (ja) (kahen), 変えられる (ja) (kaerareru)
• Malay: boleh ubah
• Maori: taurangi, tāupe
• Norwegian: variabel
• Persian: متغیر (fa) (moteğayyer)
• Polish: zmienny (pl)
• Portuguese: variável (pt)
• Romanian: variabil (ro) m or n
• Russian: переме́нный (ru) (pereménnyj), изме́нчивый (ru) (izménčivyj), непостоя́нный (ru) (nepostojánnyj)
• Spanish: variable (es)
• Swedish: flexibel (sv), föränderlig (sv), reglerbar, rörlig (sv), ställbar (sv), variabel (sv)
• Telugu: మారగల (māragala), మారే (mārē)
• Turkish: değişken (tr)
• Ukrainian: змі́нний m (zmínnyj), мінли́вий (uk) m (minlývyj), змі́нна f (zmínna), мінли́ва f (minlýva)

likely to vary

• Asturian: variable
• Bulgarian: променлив (bg) (promenliv)
• Catalan: variable (ca)
• Dutch: veranderlijk (nl), variabel (nl), schommelend (nl), wisselend (nl), onbestendig (nl)
• Esperanto: varia (eo)
• Finnish: vaihteleva (fi), muuttuva (fi)
• Galician: variable (gl), variábel (gl)
• Georgian: ცვალებადი (cvalebadi)
• German: variabel (de)
• Hungarian: változékony (hu)
• Italian: variabile (it)
• Japanese: 変わりうる (kawariuru), 変わりやすい (kawariyasui)
• Latin: variabilis
• Maori: taurangi, tāupe
• Norwegian: variabel
• Polish: zmienny (pl)
• Portuguese: variável (pt)
• Romanian: variabil (ro) m or n
• Russian: переме́нный (ru) (pereménnyj), изме́нчивый (ru) (izménčivyj), непостоя́нный (ru) (nepostojánnyj)
• Spanish: variable (es)
• Swedish: ombytlig (sv), ostadig (sv), växlande (sv)
• Telugu: అస్థిర (asthira)
• Ukrainian: змі́нний m (zmínnyj), мінли́вий (uk) m (minlývyj), змі́нна f (zmínna), мінли́ва f (minlýva)

marked by diversity or difference

• Bulgarian: различаващ се (različavašt se)
• Dutch: veranderlijk (nl), variabel (nl), schommelend (nl), wisselend (nl), onbestendig (nl)
• Finnish: vaihteleva (fi)
• French: variable (fr)
• Georgian: ცვალებადი (cvalebadi)
• Greek: μεταβλητός (el) m (metavlitós)
• Italian: variabile (it)
• Norwegian: varierende
• Polish: zmienny (pl)
• Portuguese: variável (pt)
• Romanian: variabil (ro) m or n
• Russian: переме́нный (ru) (pereménnyj), изме́нчивый (ru) (izménčivyj), непостоя́нный (ru) (nepostojánnyj)
• Swedish: varierande (sv), omväxlande (sv)
• Ukrainian: змі́нний m (zmínnyj), мінли́вий (uk) m (minlývyj), змі́нна (zmínna), мінли́ва f (minlýva)

mathematics: having no fixed quantitative value

• Bulgarian: променлив (bg) (promenliv)
• Catalan: variable (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 變數 / 变数 (zh) (biànshù)

• Czech: variabilní, proměnný
• Dutch: veranderlijk (nl), variabel (nl)
• Estonian: muutuja
• Finnish: vaihteleva (fi)
• French: variable (fr) f
• Georgian: ცვლადი (cvladi)
• German: variabel (de)
• Greek: μεταβλητή (el) f (metavlití)
• Hebrew: משתנה (he) m (mishtane)
• Indonesian: variabel (id)
• Italian: variabile (it)
• Japanese: 可変 (ja) (kahen)
• Latin: variābilis
• Macedonian: про́менлив m (prómenliv)
• Maori: taurangi
• Norwegian: variabel
• Persian: متغیر (fa) (moteğayyer)
• Polish: zmienny (pl)
• Portuguese: variável (pt)
• Romanian: variabil (ro) m or n
• Russian: переме́нный (ru) (pereménnyj), переме́нная (ru) f (pereménnaja)
• Swedish: variabel (sv)
• Tagalog: aligan
• Telugu: చర (cara)
• Ukrainian: змі́нна f (zmínna)

biology: tending to deviate from a normal or recognized type

• Bulgarian: изменчив (bg) (izmenčiv)
• Norwegian: avvikende
• Polish: zmienny (pl)
• Romanian: schimbabil m or n, variabil (ro) m or n
• Swedish: avvikande (sv)

Noun

variable (plural variables)

1. Something that is variable.

   Synonym: changeable

   Antonyms: constant, invariable

2. Something whose value may be dictated or discovered.

   Synonym: parameter

   There are several variables to consider here.

   • 2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193:

     Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents.

3. (mathematics) A quantity that may assume any one of a set of values.

   Synonyms: variable quantity; see also Thesaurus:variable

4. (mathematics) A symbol representing a variable.
5. (programming) A named memory location in which a program can store intermediate results and from which it can read them.
6. (astronomy) A variable star.
7. (nautical) A shifting wind, or one that varies in force.
8. (nautical, in the plural) Those parts of the sea where a steady wind is not expected, especially the parts between the trade-wind belts.

Hyponyms

• across variable
• Bernoulli variable
• Boolean variable
• bound variable
• cardinal variable
• categorical variable
• cepheid variable
• Cepheid variable
• class variable
• cluster variable
• confounding variable
• continuously variable transmission
• continuous variable
• control variable
• dependent variable
• discrete variable
• dummy variable
• environment variable
• extraneous variable
• flow variable
• free variable
• helium variable
• hidden variable
• hypergeometric random variable
• independent variable
• indicator variable
• instance variable
• interval variable
• latent variable
• manipulated variable
• member variable
• metasyntactic variable
• Mira variable
• motor variable
• nominal variable
• normal random variable
• ordinal variable
• outcome variable
• pattern variable
• predictor variable
• propositional variable
• random variable
• ratio variable
• reference variable
• register variable
• responding variable
• schematic variable
• slack variable
• sociolinguistic variable
• standardized variable
• standard normal random variable
• state variable
• stock variable
• through variable
• variable variable

• See also Thesaurus:variable

Derived terms

• Hubble-Sandage variable
• microvariable
• variably
• vary

Related terms

• variable star

Translations

something that is variable

• Asturian: variable f
• Catalan: variable (ca) f
• Czech: proměnná f
• Dutch: variabele (nl) m or f, veranderlijke (nl) m or f
• French: variable (fr) f
• Galician: variable (gl) f, variábel (gl) f
• German: Variable (de) f
• Indonesian: variabel (id)
• Italian: variabile (it) f
• Norwegian: variabel m
• Polish: zmienna (pl) f
• Portuguese: variável (pt) f
• Romanian: variabilă (ro) f
• Spanish: variable (es) f
• Swedish: variabel (sv) c
• Telugu: చరము (te) (caramu)
• Turkish: değişken (tr)

something whose value may be dictated or discovered

• Czech: faktor (cs) m
• Dutch: veranderlijke (nl) m or f, variabele (nl) m or f, variabele waarde f
• Finnish: muuttuja (fi)
• French: variable (fr) f, paramètre (fr) m
• German: Variable (de) f
• Italian: variabile (it) f
• Norwegian: variabel m
• Polish: zmienna (pl) f
• Portuguese: variável (pt) f
• Russian: неизве́стное (ru) n (neizvéstnoje)
• Swedish: parameter (sv) c, variabel (sv) c
• Turkish: değişken (tr)

mathematics: a quantity that may assume any one of a set of values

• Albanian: variabël ?
• Arabic: مُتَغَيِّر m (mutaḡayyir)
• Asturian: variable f
• Azerbaijani: dəyişən (az)
• Belarusian: пераме́нная f (pjeramjénnaja), зме́нная f (zmjénnaja)
• Bulgarian: проме́нлива (bg) f (proménliva)
• Burmese: ကိန်းရှင် (my) (kin:hrang)
• Catalan: variable (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 變數 / 变数 (zh) (biànshù), 變量 / 变量 (zh) (biànliàng)

• Czech: proměnná f
• Danish: variabel c
• Dutch: variabele (nl) m or f, veranderlijke (nl) m or f
• Estonian: muutuja
• Finnish: muuttuja (fi)
• French: variable (fr) f, paramètre (fr) m
• Galician: variable (gl) f, variábel (gl) f
• German: Variable (de) f, Parameter (de) m
• Greek: μεταβλητή (el) f (metavlití)
• Hebrew: מִשְׁתַּנֶּה (he) f (mishtané)
• Hindi: चर (hi) ? (car)
• Hungarian: változó (hu)
• Icelandic: breyta (is) f
• Indonesian: variabel (id), peubah (id)
• Italian: variabile (it) f, parametro (it) m
• Japanese: 変数 (ja) (へんすう, hensū), 変項 (ja) (へんこう, henkō)
• Kazakh: айнымалы (ainymaly)
• Khmer: អថេរ (km) (ʼɑthee)
• Korean: 변수(變數) (ko) (byeonsu)
• Lao: ຕົວແປ (tūa pǣ)
• Macedonian: променлива f (promenliva)
• Maori: taurangi
• Mongolian: хувьсагч (mn) (xuvʹsagč)
• Norwegian: variabel m
• Persian: متغیر (fa) (moteğayyer)
• Polish: zmienna (pl) f
• Portuguese: variável (pt) f
• Romanian: variabilă (ro) f, parametru (ro) m
• Russian: переме́нная (ru) f (pereménnaja)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: променљива f, промјенљива f

  Roman: promenljiva f, promjenljiva (sh) f

• Slovak: premenná f
• Slovene: spremenljívka (sl) f
• Spanish: variable (es) f
• Swedish: variabel (sv) c
• Tagalog: aligin
• Tajik: мутағайир (mutaġayir)
• Telugu: చరరాశి (cararāśi)
• Thai: ตัวแปร (th) (dtuua-bprɛɛ)
• Turkish: değişken (tr)
• Ukrainian: змі́нна f (zmínna)
• Vietnamese: biên sô (變數)

mathematics: a symbol representing a variable

• Dutch: variabel (nl) m or f, veranderlijk (nl) m or f
• Finnish: muuttuja (fi)
• French: variable (fr) f, paramètre (fr) m
• German: Variable (de) f, Symbol (de) n, Platzhalter (de) m, Variablensymbol n,
• Greek: μεταβλητή (el) f (metavlití)
• Japanese: 変数 (ja) (へんすう, hensū)
• Korean: 변수 (ko) (byeonsu)
• Norwegian: variabel m
• Persian: متغیر (fa) (moteğayyer)
• Polish: zmienna (pl) f
• Portuguese: variável (pt) f
• Romanian: variabilă (ro) f
• Russian: неизве́стная (ru) f (neizvéstnaja), переме́нная (ru) f (pereménnaja)
• Swedish: variabel (sv) c
• Tagalog: aligin
• Thai: ตัวแปร (th) (dtuua-bprɛɛ)
• Turkish: değişken (tr)

computing: a named mutable piece of storage

• Arabic: مُتَغَيِّر m (mutaḡayyir)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 變量 / 变量 (zh) (biànliàng)

• Czech: proměnná f
• Dutch: variabele (nl) m or f
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: muuttuja (fi)
• French: variable (fr) f
• German: Variable (de) f
• Greek: μεταβλητή (el) f (metavlití)
• Hebrew: מִשְׁתַּנֶּה (he) f (mishtané)
• Hindi: चर (hi) ? (car)
• Japanese: 変数 (ja) (へんすう, hensū)
• Korean: 변수(變數) (ko) (byeonsu)
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: variabel m
• Persian: متغیر (fa) (moteğayyer)
• Polish: zmienna (pl) f
• Portuguese: variável (pt) f
• Russian: переме́нная (ru) f (pereménnaja)
• Swedish: variabel (sv) c
• Thai: ตัวแปร (th) (dtuua-bprɛɛ)
• Turkish: değişken (tr)
• Ukrainian: змі́нна f (zmínna)
• Vietnamese: biên sô (變數)

astronomy: a variable star — see variable star

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Lithuanian: ^{(please verify)} kintamasis (lt) m
• Slovak: ^{(please verify)} premenná f
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} variable (es) f

See also

• argument
• variate

Further reading

• “variable”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “variable”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “variable”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin variābilis.

Adjective

variable (epicene, plural variables)

1. variable (able to vary)
2. variable (likely to vary)

Noun

variable f (plural variables)

1. (mathematics) variable (a quantity that may assume any one of a set of values)

Related terms

• variación
• variar

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin variābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [bə.ɾiˈab.blə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [və.ɾiˈab.blə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [va.ɾiˈa.ble]

Adjective

variable m or f (masculine and feminine plural variables)

1. variable (able to vary)

   Antonym: invariable

2. variable (likely to vary)

   Antonym: invariable

3. (mathematics) variable (having no fixed quantitative value)

Derived terms

• invariable
• variabilitat
• variablement

Noun

variable f (plural variables)

1. variable (something that is variable)
2. (mathematics) variable (a quantity that may assume any one of a set of values)

Related terms

• invariable
• variació
• variar

Further reading

• “variable” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “variable”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “variable” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “variable” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Danish

Adjective

variable

1. plural and definite singular attributive of variabel

Noun

variable

1. indefinite plural of variabel

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin variābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /va.ʁjabl/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

variable (plural variables)

1. variable

   Antonym: invariable

Derived terms

• à géométrie variable
• étoile variable
• variablement

Noun

variable f (plural variables)

1. (mathematics) variable (quantity that may assume any one of a set of values)

   Antonym: constante

Derived terms

• variable de classe

Related terms

• variante
• variation

Further reading

• “variable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• aabeilrv, balivera

Galician

Alternative forms

• variável (reintegrationist)
• variábel

Etymology

From Latin variābilis.

Adjective

variable m or f (plural variables)

1. variable, changeable

   Antonym: invariable

Noun

variable f (plural variables)

1. variable

Related terms

• variación
• variar

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

variable

1. definite singular of variabel
2. plural of variabel

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

variable

1. definite singular of variabel
2. plural of variabel

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin variābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baˈɾjable/ [baˈɾja.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -able
• Syllabification: va‧ria‧ble

Adjective

variable m or f (masculine and feminine plural variables)

1. variable

Derived terms

• batará variable
• variabilidad
• variablemente

Noun

variable f (plural variables)

1. variable

Derived terms

• variable aleatoria
• variable dependiente
• variable independiente

Further reading

• “variable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Swedish

Adjective

variable

1. definite natural masculine singular of variabel

Anagrams

• variabel