volatility

American  

[vahl-uh-til-i-tee] / vɑl əˈtɪl ɪ ti /

noun

1. the state or quality of being volatile.

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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."

Example Sentences

Saylor has been anxious to promote the preferred stock, extolling its high-yield/ low volatility returns.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Bank of America’s strong quarterly results were helped by market volatility and an easier regulatory environment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

JPMorgan Chase beat first-quarter earnings expectations, with volatility from the Iran conflict leading to record market revenue and with consumers continuing to spend in the face of higher gasoline prices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

In that sense, the lack of volatility could suggest that the worst of the cycle is already behind us, with the market now stabilizing and setting the stage for a more constructive backdrop ahead.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

The most striking change in his personality was his volatility: good news triggered uncontained outbursts of joy, often extinguished only through increasingly acrobatic bouts of physical exercise, while bad news plunged him into inconsolable desolation.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• buoyancy