volatile

[ vol-uh-tl, -til or, esp. British, -tahyl ]

/ ˈvɒl ə tl, -tɪl or, esp. British, -ˌtaɪl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR volatile ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

volantis, volapuk, volapük, volar, volary, volatile, volatile oil, volatile salt, volatility index, volatilization, volatilize

Origin of volatile

1250–1300; Middle English < Latin volātilis, equivalent to volāt(us) (past participle of volāre to fly; see -ate¹) + -ilis -ile

SYNONYMS FOR volatile

2 eruptive, unstable, unsettled.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR volatile ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsvol·a·til·i·ty

[vol-uh-til-i-tee] /ˌvɒl əˈtɪl ɪ ti/, vol·a·tile·ness, nounnon·vol·a·til·i·ty, nounsem·i·vol·a·tile, adjectiveun·vol·a·tile, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for volatility

Volatility of reputation and subjectivity of quality make it difficult to define the novel in terms of absolute excellence.
The Birth of the Novel|Nick Romeo|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To be fair, there are nonpartisan, academic roots to the vision of the Cold War as a model of stability, not volatility.
Rick Perry: America’s Next Top Strategist?|James Poulos|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I loved the volatility to his reaction and the deception, and then her walking away with the security guards to the elevator.
Julianna Margulies's Favorite 'The Good Wife' Scenes|Julianna Margulies|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He fears, especially, the volatility of it all: the checkpoints, the nearby Israeli settlements, and the bombings.
A Camp Away From Terror: Where Israeli and Palestinian Kids Find Common Ground|Nina Strochlic|August 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But given the volatility of the last week, how long will that last?
Republican Debt-Ceiling ‘Truthers’ Are Risking Financial Disaster|Jamelle Bouie|October 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But the longer the Regulus is kept in fusion, the more of it evaporates, because of its volatility.
Elements of the Theory and Practice of Chymistry, 5th ed.|Pierre Joseph Macquer
She was no more appalled by the loss than by the perception of her own volatility.
The Letter of the Contract|Basil King
I was now carried away by the volatility and light-heartedness of youth.
The Devil's Elixir|E. T. A. Hoffmann
De Garros, with the volatility of a true Frenchman, waved his hand to show that he was not injured.
The Ocean Wireless Boys and the Lost Liner|Wilbur Lawton
Knowing the volatility of naphthalene in warm weather and the irritating character of its vapor led me to try it.
Insects and Diseases|Rennie W. Doane

British Dictionary definitions for volatility

volatile

/ (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 timevolatile 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

Derived Formsvolatileness or volatility (ˌvɒləˈtɪlɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for volatile

C17: from Latin volātīlis flying, from volāre to fly

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for volatility

volatile

adj.

1590s "fine or light," also "evaporating rapidly" (c.1600), from Middle French volatile, from Latin volatilis "fleeting, transitory, flying," from past participle stem of volare "to fly" (see volant). Sense of "readily changing, fickle" is first recorded 1640s. Volatiles in Middle English meant "birds, butterflies, and other winged creatures" (c.1300).

Medicine definitions for volatility

volatile

[ vŏl′ə-tl, -tīl′ ]

adj.

Evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures.

That can be readily vaporized.

Tending to violence; explosive, as of behavior.

Science definitions for volatility

volatile

[ vŏl′ə-tl ]

Changing easily from liquid to vapor at normal temperatures and pressures. Essential oils used in perfumes are highly volatile.

volatile

adjective

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of volatile

Examples from the Web for volatility

British Dictionary definitions for volatility

volatile

adjective

noun

Word Origin for volatile

Word Origin and History for volatility

volatile

Medicine definitions for volatility

volatile

adj.

Science definitions for volatility

volatile