Caprice Meaning
/kəˈpɹiːs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounAn impulsive, seemingly unmotivated action, change of mind, or notion.
nounA brief romance.
Sentence Examples
It was simply caprice that led them to shoplift.
I'm not sure whether this is some new caprice or a permanent commitment.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her sudden decision to quit her stable job was an unexpected ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Her decision was a mere ____ and was not based on any logic today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kap- Proto-Indo-European *káput Proto-Italic *kaput Latin caput Vulgar Latin capus Old Italian capo Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰḗrder. Latin ērīcius Old Italian riccio Old Italian caporiccio Italian capricciobor. French capricebor. English caprice Borrowed from French caprice, from Italian capriccio, from caporiccio (“fright, sudden start”). Doublet of capriccio.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Though more thoughtful than Madame de Mercœur, yet it asked far more knowledge of society—that wilderness of small intricacies—for her to penetrate into the motives of those who seemed so suddenly struck with her fascination; but she was too clear-headed to be deceived, and set it all down under one general belief in caprice."
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXI, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 244:
"It would have been a great privilege to be the mistress of an old time-honoured mansion, to call oaks and elms her own, to know that acres of gardens were submitted to her caprices, to look at herds of cows and oxen, and be aware that they lowed on her own pastures."
— 1869 May, Anthony Trollope, “The Honourable Mr. Glascock”, in He Knew He Was Right, volume I, London: Strahan and Company, […], →OCLC, page 107:
"She is said to be the finest swordswoman on the Continent. Yet, notwithstanding her caprices, she is a noble-minded woman."
— 1899, Harold MacGrath, Arms and the Woman:
"The only difference between a caprice and a life-long passion is that a caprice lasts a little longer."
— 1891, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, London; New York, N.Y.: Ward Lock & Co., →OCLC:
"After that we cast off all allegiance to immediate, tangible, and time-touched things, and entered a fantastic world of hushed unreality in which the narrow, ribbon-like road rose and fell and curved with an almost sentient and purposeful caprice amidst the tenantless green peaks and half-deserted valleys"
— 1931, H. P. Lovecraft, chapter 6, in The Whisperer in Darkness:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her sudden decision to quit her stable job was an unexpected ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Her decision was a mere ____ and was not based on any logic today.