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
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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.
Joseph Adinolfi described the epic scale of investors’ commitment to artificial-intelligence technology and provided a warning for traders based on the S&P 500’s volatility.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Despite the stock’s volatility, Korea-listed shares of SK Hynix have jumped almost 220% so far this year.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Continued volatility in energy prices could remain a source of trading opportunities for BP in the coming months, they add.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
That could also increase the stock’s public float, or shares available for public trading, as well as its volatility.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Ruby was heat and volatility, she was passion, but not violence.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
