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.
Nepal's floods are a warning for India - not simply because water flows south across the border, but because the two countries share a vast and increasingly volatile Himalayan river system.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 3.4% on year in August and 0.2% on month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
That’s likely the reason why shares are volatile after hours, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Core inflation, which strips out volatile energy and food prices, has remained largely stable in recent months.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
My father was a volatile, extremely complicated person, possessed of a brash demeanor that masked deep insecurities.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
