Trivia Time

What is the opposite of the word volatile?

Test Your Knowledge

volatile

American  

[vol-uh-tl, -til, -tahyl] / ˈvɒl ə tl, -tɪl, -ˌtaɪl /

adjective

1. evaporating rapidly; passing off readily in the form of vapor.

   Acetone is a volatile solvent.

2. tending or threatening to break out into open violence; explosive.

   a volatile political situation.

   Synonyms:

   unsettled, unstable, eruptive

3. changeable; mercurial; flighty.

   a volatile disposition.

4. (of prices, values, etc.) tending to fluctuate sharply and regularly.

   volatile market conditions.

5. fleeting; transient.

   volatile beauty.

6. Computers. of or relating to storage that does not retain data when electrical power is turned off or fails.

7. able to fly or flying.

---

noun

1. a volatile substance, as a gas or solvent.

volatile British  

/ ˌvɒləˈtɪlɪtɪ, ˈvɒləˌtaɪl /

adjective

1. (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

2. (of persons) disposed to caprice or inconstancy; fickle; mercurial

3. (of circumstances) liable to sudden, unpredictable, or explosive change

4. lasting only a short time

   volatile business interests

5. computing (of a memory) not retaining stored information when the power supply is cut off

6. obsolete flying or capable of flight; volant

---

noun

1. a volatile substance

2. rare a winged creature

volatile Scientific  

/ vŏl′ə-tl /

1. Changing easily from liquid to vapor at normal temperatures and pressures. Essential oils used in perfumes are highly volatile.

---

Other Word Forms

• nonvolatility
  noun
• semivolatile
  adjective
• unvolatile
  adjective
• volatileness
  noun
• volatility
  noun

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.

Example Sentences

Volatile organic compounds like benzene, stemming from burnt PVC pipes, have entered drinking water.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Volatile fuel costs could add turbulence to your summer trip.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

Volatile Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis had sacked Nuno even though the Portuguese coach led them into Europe for the first time in 30 years, leaving Postecoglou under pressure to make an immediate impact.

From Barron's • Oct. 18, 2025

"Volatile chemicals can deliver a therapeutic dose to plants and animals, with no need for pills or injections," he said.

From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2024

Ammonia.—Under the various titles of "Smelling Salts," "Preston Salts," "Inexhaustible Salts," "Eau de Luce," "Sal Volatile," ammonia, mixed with other odoriferous bodies, has been very extensively consumed as material for gratifying the olfactory nerve.

From The Art of Perfumery And Methods of Obtaining the Odors of Plants by Piesse, George William Septimus

Related Words

• capricious
• elusive
• erratic
• fickle
• resilient
• ticklish
• unsettled
• unstable