Fun Fact

Capricious shares its root with “caprice” and originally connected to goats through “Capricorn”—the idea being that goats leap unpredictably from rock to rock, much like capricious behavior jumps from one whim to another. The hedgehog etymology suggests hair standing on end from sudden fright, capturing that startled, impulsive quality. Fashion gets called capricious when trends change inexplicably. Ancient peoples attributed capricious behavior to the gods, whose moods seemed to shift without warning. Unlike “fickle,” which implies shallow changeability, capricious can describe weather, fate, or fortune—impersonal forces that shift without regard to logic. The stock market behaves capriciously, as do certain creative geniuses whose inspiration arrives and departs mysteriously.