# 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: [ˈvɛə.ɹi.ə.bl̩]
* (US, without the Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA: [ˈvæɹ.i.ə.bl̩]
* (US, Canada, Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA: [ˈvɛɹ.i.ə.bl̩]
** Audio (US):(file)
** Audio (Texas):(file)
* (General Australian) IPA: [ˈveː.ɹi.ə.bl̩]

### Adjective

variable (comparative more variable, superlative most variable)
* 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
* 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.
* Marked by diversity or difference.
    Synonyms: varying; see also Thesaurus:heterogeneous
    Antonyms: unchanging; see also Thesaurus:homogeneous
* (mathematics) Having no fixed quantitative value.
    Antonyms: constant, invariable
* (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
### Noun

variable (plural variables)
* Something that is variable.
    Synonym: changeable
    Antonyms: constant, invariable
* 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.
* English Wikipedia has an article on:Variable (mathematics)Wikipedia (mathematics) A quantity that may assume any one of a set of values.
    Synonyms: variable quantity; see also Thesaurus:variable
* (mathematics) A symbol representing a variable.
* (programming) A named memory location in which a program can store intermediate results and from which it can read them.
* (astronomy) A variable star.
* (nautical) A shifting wind, or one that varies in force.
* (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
* Algol 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

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

#### See also

* argument
* variate

### Further reading

* “variable”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
* William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “variable”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
* “variable”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

## Asturian
### Etymology

From Latin variābilis.

### Adjective

variable (epicene, plural variables)
* variable (able to vary)
* variable (likely to vary)

### Noun

variable f (plural variables)
* (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: (Central) [bə.ɾiˈab.blə]
* IPA: (Balearic) [və.ɾiˈab.blə]
* IPA: (Valencia) [va.ɾiˈa.ble]

### Adjective

variable m or f (masculine and feminine plural variables)
* variable (able to vary)
    Antonym: invariable
* variable (likely to vary)
    Antonym: invariable
* (mathematics) variable (having no fixed quantitative value)

#### Derived terms

* invariable
* variabilitat
* variablement

### Noun

variable f (plural variables)
* variable (something that is variable)
* (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
* plural and definite singular attributive of variabel

### Noun

variable
* indefinite plural of variabel

## French
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin variābilis.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /va.ʁjabl/
* Audio:(file)

### Adjective

variable (plural variables)
* variable
    Antonym: invariable

#### Derived terms

* à géométrie variable
* étoile variable
* variablement

### Noun

variable f (plural variables)
* (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)
* variable, changeable
    Antonym: invariable

### Noun

variable f (plural variables)
* variable

#### Related terms

* variación
* variar

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Adjective

variable
* definite singular of variabel
* plural of variabel

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Adjective

variable
* definite singular of variabel
* plural of variabel

## Spanish
### Etymology

From Latin variābilis.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /baˈɾjable/ [baˈɾja.β̞le]
* Rhymes: -able
* Syllabification: va‧ria‧ble

### Adjective

variable m or f (masculine and feminine plural variables)
* variable

#### Derived terms

* batará variable
* cantidad variable
* variabilidad
* variablemente

### Noun

variable f (plural variables)
* 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
* definite natural masculine singular of variabel

### Anagrams

* variabel