volatile
Americanadjective
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evaporating rapidly; passing off readily in the form of vapor.
Acetone is a volatile solvent.
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tending or threatening to break out into open violence; explosive.
a volatile political situation.
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changeable; mercurial; flighty.
a volatile disposition.
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(of prices, values, etc.) tending to fluctuate sharply and regularly.
volatile market conditions.
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fleeting; transient.
volatile beauty.
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Computers. of or relating to storage that does not retain data when electrical power is turned off or fails.
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able to fly or flying.
noun
adjective
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(of a substance) capable of readily changing from a solid or liquid form to a vapour; having a high vapour pressure and a low boiling point
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(of persons) disposed to caprice or inconstancy; fickle; mercurial
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(of circumstances) liable to sudden, unpredictable, or explosive change
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lasting only a short time
volatile business interests
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computing (of a memory) not retaining stored information when the power supply is cut off
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obsolete flying or capable of flight; volant
noun
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a volatile substance
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rare a winged creature
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of volatile
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin volātilis, equivalent to volāt(us) “flown,” past participle of volāre “to fly” + -ilis -ile
Explanation
Watch out when a situation becomes volatile — it is likely to change for the worse suddenly. If you and your best friend have a volatile relationship, you frequently fight and make up. Volatile from Latin volatilis, "fleeting, transitory," always gives the sense of sudden, radical change. Think of it as the opposite of stable. A person who is volatile loses his or her temper suddenly and violently. A volatile political situation could erupt into civil war. When the stock market is volatile, it fluctuates greatly. And in scientific language, a volatile oil evaporates quickly.
Vocabulary lists containing volatile
Words from "The Avengers"
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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This Week in Words: November 11 - 17, 2017
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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.
Volatile stocks, known as “high beta” in finance jargon, have been the only game in town since last April’s “Liberation Day” swoon.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
Volatile stocks move a lot, making options more valuable.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
Volatile organic compounds like benzene, stemming from burnt PVC pipes, have entered drinking water.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
Volatile elements such as water and nitrogen could help sustain long-term human activity on the moon, reducing the need to ship supplies from Earth and making future exploration more practical.
From Science Daily • Jan. 5, 2026
Creation the result of the accord of the Fixed and the Volatile, 790-m.
From Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry by Pike, Albert
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.
