Va″ri‐a‐ble (?), a. [L. variabilis: cf. F. variable.]
1. Having the capacity of varying or changing; capable of alternation in any manner; changeable; as, variable winds or seasons; a variable quantity.
2. Liable to vary; too susceptible of change; mutable; fickle; unsteady; inconstant; as, the affections of men are variable; passions are variable.
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable. Shak.
His heart, I know, how variable and vain! Milton.
Variable exhaust(Steam Eng.), a blast pipe with an adjustable opening. — Variable quantity(Math.), a variable. — Variable stars(Astron.), fixed stars which vary in their brightness, usually in more or less uniform periods.
Syn. — Changeable; mutable; fickle; wavering; unsteady; versatile; inconstant.