VARIABLE


Meaning of VARIABLE in English

I. var ‧ i ‧ a ‧ ble 1 AC /ˈveəriəb ə l $ ˈver-/ BrE AmE adjective

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ variable , ↑ variance , ↑ variant , ↑ variety , ↑ variability , ↑ variation ; adjective : ↑ variable ≠ ↑ invariable , ↑ varied , ↑ various ; adverb : ↑ variably ≠ ↑ invariably , ↑ variously ; verb : ↑ vary ]

1 . likely to change often ⇨ vary :

Expect variable cloudiness and fog tomorrow.

Interest rates can be highly variable.

variable in size/shape/colour etc

These fish are highly variable in color and pattern.

2 . sometimes good and sometimes bad:

The quality of pork is often less variable than beef.

3 . able to be changed:

The heater has variable temperature settings.

—variably adverb

—variability /ˌveəriəˈbɪləti, ˌveəriəˈbɪlɪti $ ˌver-/ noun [uncountable]

II. variable 2 AC BrE AmE noun [countable]

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ variable , ↑ variance , ↑ variant , ↑ variety , ↑ variability , ↑ variation ; adjective : ↑ variable ≠ ↑ invariable , ↑ varied , ↑ various ; adverb : ↑ variably ≠ ↑ invariably , ↑ variously ; verb : ↑ vary ]

1 . something that may be different in different situations, so that you cannot be sure what will happen OPP constant :

There are too many variables in the experiment to predict the result accurately.

2 . technical a mathematical quantity which can represent several different amounts OPP constant

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.