variant

UK: /ˈvɛəriənt/ US: /ˈvɛriənt/ ,(vâr′ē ənt)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

var•i•ant /ˈvɛriənt/   adj. [before a noun]

1. tending to change;
   showing variety;
   not staying the same;
   differing:
   variant spellings of words like vapor and vapour.

n. [countable]

2. a person or thing that varies:
   over 100 variants of that ballad.
3. Linguistics a different spelling, pronunciation, or form of the same word: Vehemency is a variant of vehemence.

See -var-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

var•i•ant  (vâr′ē ənt), adj. 

1. tending to change or alter;
   exhibiting variety or diversity;
   varying:
   variant shades of color.
2. not agreeing or conforming;
   differing, esp. from something of the same general kind.
3. not definitive, as a version of part of a text;
   different;
   alternative:
   a variant reading.
4. not universally accepted.

n. 

5. a person or thing that varies.
6. Linguistics a different spelling, pronunciation, or form of the same word:
   "Vehemency'' is a variant of "vehemence.''

• Latin variant-, stem of variāns, present participle of variāre to vary; see -ant
• Middle English 1325–75

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

variant / ˈvɛərɪənt/ adjective

1. liable to or displaying variation
2. differing from a standard or type: a variant spelling

noun

1. something that differs from a standard or type
2. another word for variate1

Etymology: 14th Century: via Old French from Latin variāns, from variāre to diversify, from varius various