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.
An important point came when he said that he and his colleagues have “observed but were not surprised by” recent market volatility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Morgan continues to consider intermediate German government bond yields attractive for long-term investors who can tolerate near-term volatility, its strategists say in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
It also sticks with its cautious stance on intra-eurozone government bond yield spreads due to weakening sentiment on France, elevated developed-market rate volatility, and geopolitical and energy uncertainty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
This could potentially weigh on risk assets, widen credit spreads, and push implied volatility higher.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 25, 2026
He was feared and admired for his fistfighting skills, drop-of-a-hat volatility, thundering bass voice, and daring.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
