volatility
Americannoun
Explanation
Volatility is the trait of being excitable and unpredictable. Your volatility might ultimately be the thing that makes you unsuitable as a preschool teacher. The noun volatility is the characteristic of changing often and unpredictably. Your sister's volatility might be shown in how quickly she switches from laughing to crying. If you talk about the volatility of the stock market, stock prices are most likely fluctuating wildly. In chemistry, volatility means the speed with which a substance changes from solid to liquid, liquid to vapor, and so on. The root is the Latin volatilis, "fleeting, transitory, flying."
Vocabulary lists containing volatility
This Week in Words: October 21- 27, 2018
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week in Words: October 13 – 20, 2018
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Pride and Prejudice
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Nasdaq composite lost about 1% on Tuesday, its largest blown gain since early January, extending tech stock volatility.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
“I think most retail investors should avoid trading this like the plague,” said Dave Nadig, a veteran fund analyst who expects extreme volatility in SpaceX share prices in the weeks after it goes public.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
Tech stocks show significant volatility, with the VanEck Semiconductor ETF up 4.9% this week after a 9% drop last Friday.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Due to the significant scale of and demand for SpaceX’s IPO, volatility is expected to be high.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
Since the volatility of these last digits makes them essentially random, every number from 000 to 999 is equally likely to come up.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
