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.
Vietnam said the agreement showed the parties' resolve to "reinforce the rules-based trading system amid continued volatility in the global economy", according to a government statement.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
Silver’s sharper price decline than gold reflects its “greater volatility, exposure to industrial demand, and the unwinding of earlier speculative enthusiasm,” said Ryan McIntyre, president of Sprott.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2026
A spokeswoman for Applied Optoelectronics said the fiber-optic manufacturer objected because it wasn’t sure how tokenization would affect its stock price, liquidity and volatility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Jio is hitting the market amid heightened volatility in global markets, driven by the prolonged Middle East conflict, inflation concerns and growing investor caution toward artificial intelligence-related stocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 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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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
