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mercurial
[ mer-kyoor-ee-uhl ]
adjective
- changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic:
a mercurial nature.
Synonyms: indecisive, inconstant
- animated; lively; sprightly; quick-witted.
Synonyms: spirited
Antonyms: phlegmatic
- pertaining to, containing, or caused by the metal mercury.
- (initial capital letter) of or relating to the god Mercury.
- (initial capital letter) of or relating to the planet Mercury.
noun
- Pharmacology. a preparation of mercury used as a drug.
mercurial
/ mɜːˈkjʊərɪəl /
adjective
- of, like, containing, or relating to mercury
- volatile; lively
a mercurial temperament
- sometimes capital of, like, or relating to the god or the planet Mercury
noun
- med any salt of mercury for use as a medicine
Derived Forms
- merˈcurially, adverb
- merˈcurialness, noun
Other Words From
- mer·curi·al·ly adverb
- mer·curi·al·ness mer·curi·ali·ty noun
- unmer·curi·al adjective
- unmer·curi·al·ly adverb
- unmer·curi·al·ness noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of mercurial1
Word History and Origins
Origin of mercurial1
Example Sentences
Since the recession, a mercurial job market has made it difficult for many vets to find steady employment.
I think that Michael would hate to be falsely remembered as perfect in retrospect—he was mercurial, impulsive, and intense.
They are superstitious, violent, passionate, mercurial, and secretive, with a greater belief in dragons than in any saint.
But Chechnya has become a republic of fear, the fiefdom of one man: its mercurial 36-year-old president, Ramzan Kadyrov.
But I press on, because my mercurial editor is emailing me, “When are you filing that bitcoin story!??”
Quentin Gray's mercurial color deserted him, and he turned to Seton a face grown suddenly pale.
The usual excited happiness was less obvious, he thought, than usual, the mercurial gaiety wholly absent.
The extreme heat was rather more intense than that of the preceding day, the mercurial column standing for a time at 97 degrees.
Of the influence formerly attributed to the planets, traces survive in such epithets as mercurial, jovial, saturnine.
Of the many forms of mercurial barometer, that perhaps known as Fortins is the best.
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