Constancy Meaning
/ˈkɑnstənsi/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe quality of being constant; steadiness or faithfulness in action, affections, purpose, etc.
nounAn unchanging quality or characteristic of a person or thing.
Sentence Examples
Dripping water wears away a stone not with its strength, but with its constancy.
In Daoism, to not know constancy is a tragedy.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her ____ through the hard times amazed all her close friends.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He praised the absolute ____ of her friendship, noting she had never once let him down.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Latin cōnstantiabor. English constancy Borrowed from Latin cōnstantia.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A little Water cleares vs of this deed.
How eaſie is it then? your Conſtancie
Hath left you vnattended."
— c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii], page 137, column 1:
"Punctuality is a species of Constancy, a very unfashionable quality in a Lady."
— 1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, IV.iii:
"And, I do not know that I should be fond of preaching often; now and then, perhaps, once or twice in the spring, after being anxiously expected for half a dozen Sundays together; but not for a constancy; it would not do for a constancy."
— 1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter III, in Mansfield Park: […], volume III, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 68:
"Constancy of character is what is chiefly valued and sought for by naturalists."
— 1871, Charles Darwin, “On the Races of Man”, in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, Part I (On the Descent of Man), page 214:
"The overall retention rate of 68 per cent indicates a robust constancy of the linguistic features investigated."
— 2014, James Lambert, “Diachronic stability in Indian English lexis”, in World Englishes, page 124:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her ____ through the hard times amazed all her close friends.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He praised the absolute ____ of her friendship, noting she had never once let him down.