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

Analysts expect more volatility as the renegotiation’s summer deadline approaches.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

One can see that implied volatility increases into a spike and then plunges, creating a sawtooth pattern.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Barry Callebaut, which recently appointed former Unilever boss Hein Schumacher as its chief executive, is seeking to turn a page on a turbulent time due to cocoa-price volatility.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

As a small-cap stock, wide swings of volatility can be expected, as was the case at the start of this year.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

And indeed Thessicher thawed after his first alarm was past, and with Karhidish volatility became demonstrative and nostalgic, recalling old days and old acquaintances with Estraven beside the fire half the night.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Related Words

• buoyancy