mutability
gb/mjˈutəbˈɪlɪti/ us/mjˈutəbˈɪlɪti/
C1
English
változékonyság, módosíthatóság, mutabilitás, mutálékonyság
NOUN
C1
FORMAL
1
Usage pattern:
the mutability of [something]
The essay reflects on the mutability of public opinion in the age of social media.
Az esszé a közvélemény változékonyságáról elmélkedik a közösségi média korában.
Travel taught her to accept the mutability of plans and expectations.
Az utazás megtanította arra, hogy elfogadja a tervek és az elvárások változékonyságát.
He found comfort in routines amid the mutability of work and family life.
Learner examples
Mutability means that something can change.
A változékonyság azt jelenti, hogy valami megváltozhat.
I don’t like the mutability of the schedule.
Nem szeretem, hogy a beosztás folyton változik.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse mutability (ability to change) with mobility (ability to move).
Meaning
quality of being changeable
Collocations
the mutability of life
|the mutability of human nature
|the mutability of public opinion
|accept the mutability
|recognize the mutability
|constant mutability
|rapid mutability
|subject to mutability
|emphasize mutability
|a sense of mutability
Synonyms
changeability (More common and less formal.)
|
variability (Emphasizes differences and range rather than simple change over time.)
|
instability (Often suggests an unwanted or troubling lack of steadiness.)
Antonyms
stability (Focuses on remaining steady or unchanged.)
|
constancy (Emphasizes reliability and staying the same over time.)
|
immutability (The quality of being unchangeable.)
Themes
academic
|change
|philosophy
Definition
Mutability is how easily something changes.
The quality of being able to change, or of changing often.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
2
mutabilitás
C2
Usage pattern:
mutability of [data/object] (in [language/system])
In Python, lists have mutability, but tuples do not.
Pythonban a listák módosíthatók, a tuple-ök viszont nem.
The team reduced bugs by limiting shared mutability between threads.
A csapat úgy csökkentette a hibák számát, hogy korlátozta a szálak közötti megosztott módosíthatóságot.
The API documents which fields have mutability and which are read-only.
Learner examples
This object has mutability, so I can change it.
Ez az objektum módosítható, ezért meg tudom változtatni.
Immutability is the opposite of mutability.
Az immutabilitás a módosíthatóság ellentéte.
Common mistake:
Learners may treat mutability as the same as editability of a file; in programming it specifically means changing an object’s state in memory.
Meaning
ability to change in code
Collocations
object mutability
|data mutability
|shared mutability
|avoid mutability
|control mutability
|mutability rules
|mutability guarantees
|mutability issues
|mutability vs immutability
|mutability of state
Synonyms
modifiability (A close technical synonym; less standard than mutability in programming discourse.)
|
writability (Sometimes used in technical contexts, especially about whether a value can be written to.)
Antonyms
immutability (An immutable object cannot be changed after creation.)
Themes
computing
|programming
|software_engineering
Definition
In programming, mutability means you can change an object after you make it.
In computing, the property of a data structure or object that allows its state or contents to be changed after it is created.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
3
Usage pattern:
the mutability of [gene/virus/genome]
The mutability of the virus makes it harder to produce a long-lasting vaccine.
A vírus mutálékonysága megnehezíti a tartós védelmet nyújtó vakcina előállítását.
Researchers measured the mutability of different strains under drug pressure.
A kutatók gyógyszeres nyomás alatt mérték a különböző törzsek mutálékonyságát.
High mutability can speed adaptation but also increases harmful errors.
Learner examples
Some viruses have high mutability.
Egyes vírusok nagyon mutálékonyak.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse mutability with mutation itself; mutability is the tendency or rate, not a single change.
Meaning
tendency to mutate biologically
Collocations
viral mutability
|genetic mutability
|high mutability
|low mutability
|the mutability of the virus
|the mutability of the genome
|mutability of DNA
|increased mutability
|mutability and evolution
|mutability rate
Synonyms
mutation rate (More specific and measurable; mutability can be broader and less strictly quantified.)
|
tendency to mutate (A plain-language paraphrase rather than a fixed single-word synonym.)
Antonyms
genetic stability (Refers to resisting mutation or maintaining genetic consistency.)
Themes
science
|biology
|medicine
Definition
In biology, mutability is how easily something mutates.
In biology, the tendency of a gene, organism, or virus to undergo mutations, or the ease with which mutations occur.
Grammar
Dictionary form
mutability
IPA
GB/mjˈutəbˈɪlɪti/
US/mjˈutəbˈɪlɪti/
Syllables & stress
mut - ab - il - ity (4 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (mut)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: mutability
- Plural: mutabilities, mutability
Word family
Expressions
interior mutability
1/ɪntˈɪɹiɚ mjˈutəbˈɪlɪti/
fixed phrase
technical
mutating through an immutable handle
Interior mutability is a way to change data even when it looks immutable.
Examples
- The cache uses interior mutability so it can update itself without requiring a mutable reference.
- Rust provides interior mutability types that restrict when and how updates happen.
- They refactored the component to rely on interior mutability instead of widespread mutable state.
shared mutability
1/ʃˈɛɹd mjˈutəbˈɪlɪti/
fixed phrase
technical
shared changeable state in code
Shared mutability is when more than one thing can change the same data.
Examples
- The new design avoids shared mutability by copying data before updating it.
- Shared mutability can make debugging difficult because state changes in many places.
- They introduced locks to manage shared mutability across threads.
Learner examples
- We try to avoid shared mutability.