quicksilver
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
- quicksilvery adjective
Etymology
Origin of quicksilver
before 1000; Middle English qwyksilver, Old English cwicseolfor (translation Latin argentum vīvum ) literally, living silver
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.
All would be lost, however, without Mays’ quicksilver brilliance — the way he can shift from savage irony to vindictive rage to godless despair in the space of a line.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026
That combination of hard-running forward and quicksilver backs, connecting with superb handling skills, was in evidence again and again.
From BBC • Sep. 13, 2025
Music director and conductor Stephen Oremus maintained the production’s high musical standards, bringing out the extensive palette of a rock score with quicksilver moods.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2025
Dupont, France's quicksilver XV-a-side captain, surprised the rugby world when he swapped the 2024 Six Nations for a shot at seven-a-side Olympic glory.
From BBC • Sep. 18, 2024
Their different treads, as if even as spirits they retained their personalities, Patria’s sure and measured step, Minerva’s quicksilver impatience, Mate’s playful little skip.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
