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
This Week in Words: October 21- 27, 2018
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This Week in Words: October 13 – 20, 2018
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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.
In addition to volatility and interest rates, investors are being choosier about participating in new stock offerings, with some saying they are reserving capital for Anthropic’s planned offering later this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Thailand’s banking sector is quite strong, so financial stability isn’t a concern, while exchange-rate volatility is roughly contained.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Firmus cited “recent market volatility and prevailing market conditions” in canceling what would have been the country’s largest IPO in 30 years, with a planned raise of almost $5 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
This intense dispersion beneath the surface has helped to keep a lid on volatility at the index level.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Real risk was not volatility; real risk was stupid investment decisions.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
