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mercurial
[ mer-kyoor-ee-uhl ]
/ mərˈkyʊər i əl /
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adjective
changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic: a mercurial nature.
animated; lively; sprightly; quick-witted.
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.
OTHER WORDS FOR mercurial
2 spirited.
OPPOSITES FOR mercurial
2 phlegmatic.
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Origin of mercurial
OTHER WORDS FROM mercurial
Words nearby mercurial
mercilessly, Merckx, Mercosur, Mercouri, mercurate, mercurial, mercurial barometer, mercurialism, mercurialize, mercuric, mercuric chloride
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use mercurial in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for mercurial
mercurial
/ (mɜːˈkjʊərɪəl) /
adjective
of, like, containing, or relating to mercury
volatile; livelya 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 of mercurial
mercurially, adverbmercurialness or mercuriality, nounWord Origin for mercurial
C14: from Latin mercuriālis
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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