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.
SK Hynix’s debut on the Nasdaq has so far been met with enthusiasm from U.S. investors — and lots of volatility.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
For Europe, the outcome will determine whether lower storage levels remain manageable—or become a major source of winter price volatility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
“Tenants are realizing that with supply-chain volatility comes risk, and the best way to mitigate that risk is to create more diversity in the supply chain,” Steinberg said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Going forward, questions will revolve around how much investors “really know about” SK Hynix’s shares, and how much that matters “if trades are placed based on a volatility trade,” Gregson said in emailed comments.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 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.
