variant/ˈvɛriənt/Pluralvariants1an event that departs from expectationsSynonyms: variancediscrepancy2a variable quantity that is randomSynonyms: random variablevariatechance variablestochastic variable3something a little different from others of the same typeSynonyms: variationversionedition4(biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groupsSynonyms: formvar.strain