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volatile
[vol-uh-tl, -til, -tahyl]
adjective
evaporating rapidly; passing off readily in the form of vapor.
Acetone is a volatile solvent.
tending or threatening to break out into open violence; explosive.
a volatile political situation.
changeable; mercurial; flighty.
a volatile disposition.
(of prices, values, etc.) tending to fluctuate sharply and regularly.
volatile market conditions.
fleeting; transient.
volatile beauty.
Computers., of or relating to storage that does not retain data when electrical power is turned off or fails.
able to fly or flying.
noun
a volatile substance, as a gas or solvent.
volatile
/ ˌvɒləˈtɪlɪtɪ, ˈvɒləˌtaɪl /
adjective
(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
(of persons) disposed to caprice or inconstancy; fickle; mercurial
(of circumstances) liable to sudden, unpredictable, or explosive change
lasting only a short time
volatile business interests
computing (of a memory) not retaining stored information when the power supply is cut off
obsolete, flying or capable of flight; volant
noun
a volatile substance
rare, a winged creature
volatile
Changing easily from liquid to vapor at normal temperatures and pressures. Essential oils used in perfumes are highly volatile.
Other Word Forms
- volatileness noun
- volatility noun
- nonvolatility noun
- semivolatile adjective
- unvolatile adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of volatile1
Example Sentences
It’s no secret that goaltending in hockey is a notoriously volatile enterprise.
Core inflation, which strips out the more volatile changes in energy and food prices, was stable, however, with services inflation picking up a little pace to 3.2% on year.
Immergut, in her Saturday decision, distinguished the conditions in Portland from the more volatile situation in Los Angeles in June.
Southern banks had issued currency backed by enslaved people as collateral, creating a volatile financial system that collapsed when cotton prices fell and land speculation schemes failed.
Despite the use of safeguards such as so-called circuit breakers, which halt trading in volatile issues, flash crashes have since hit markets in other nations and asset classes.
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