volatile

[ vol-uh-tl, -til or, especially British, -tahyl ]

/ ˈvɒl ə tl, -tɪl or, especially British, -ˌtaɪl /

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See synonyms for: volatile / volatileness / volatility 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR volatile

2 eruptive, unstable, unsettled.

See synonyms for volatile on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of volatile

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

OTHER WORDS FROM volatile

vol·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. 2022

How to use volatile in a sentence

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
Second, growing your own power is an insurance policy against volatility.
Solar Powered Ski Lift|The Daily Beast|November 24, 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
Owing to its extreme volatility it can only be taken dissolved in spirit.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
Her natural volatility and satirical humour are now transformed to chastened vivacity and the sportive sallies of innocent wit.
The Sheepfold and the Common, Vol. II (of 2)|Timothy East
There was more stuff in Barbara, with all her seeming volatility, than in a wilderness of lady Anns.
There and Back|George MacDonald
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
I have been many a time surprised to observe the strange volatility of sailormen.
Humphrey Bold|Herbert Strang

British Dictionary definitions for volatile

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 forms of volatile

volatileness 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

Medical definitions for volatile

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.

Scientific definitions for volatile

volatile

[ vŏl′ə-tl ]

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

volatile

OTHER WORDS FOR volatile

Origin of volatile

OTHER WORDS FROM volatile

Words related to volatile

How to use volatile in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for volatile

Derived forms of volatile

Word Origin for volatile

Medical definitions for volatile

Scientific definitions for volatile