When & Where: I saw this word while reading an article in Social Education called, "Fault Lines in American Culture: The Case for Civic Debate." The sentence it was used in was, "Private insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms, and healthcare providers benefit at the expense of businesses that offer medical benefits and families who pay confiscatory premiums (often for capricious coverage), while the uninsured are left with "third-world" quality care."
Definition: As defined by dictionary.com,
capricious means, "Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior."
Level of Familiarity: I don't know this word at all, and have never seen it in context as far as I can remember. It was very difficult to figure it out from the sentence. I was thinking that it meant "limited," which in some ways is accurate. Actually, the author was providing some criticism of the ways in which insurance companies decide what is covered, and how much is covered.
Reflective Commentary: Whimsical or "capricious" is probably not the way I would describe how health care providers decide what is covered and what isn't under various policies. I think these decisions are far more calculated and inhumane, given that the number one priority of these institutions is to make a profit. I think it's a good word to know. It definitely helped me to understand the author's perspective in this article. However, I'm not sure how often I would use it.
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