volatile

[vol-uh-tl, -til, -tahyl]

adjective

1. evaporating rapidly; passing off readily in the form of vapor.

   Acetone is a volatile solvent.

2. tending or threatening to break out into open violence; explosive.

   a volatile political situation.

   Synonyms: unsettled, unstable, eruptive

3. changeable; mercurial; flighty.

   a volatile disposition.

4. (of prices, values, etc.) tending to fluctuate sharply and regularly.

   volatile market conditions.

5. fleeting; transient.

   volatile beauty.

6. Computers.,  of or relating to storage that does not retain data when electrical power is turned off or fails.

7. able to fly or flying.

noun

1. a volatile substance, as a gas or solvent.

volatile

/ ˌvɒləˈtɪlɪtɪ, ˈvɒləˌtaɪl /

adjective

1. (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

2. (of persons) disposed to caprice or inconstancy; fickle; mercurial

3. (of circumstances) liable to sudden, unpredictable, or explosive change

4. lasting only a short time

   volatile business interests

5. computing (of a memory) not retaining stored information when the power supply is cut off

6. obsolete,  flying or capable of flight; volant

noun

1. a volatile substance

2. rare,  a winged creature

volatile

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

Other Word Forms

• volatility noun
• volatileness noun
• nonvolatility noun
• semivolatile adjective
• unvolatile adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of volatile¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin volātilis, equivalent to volāt(us) “flown,” past participle of volāre “to fly” + -ilis -ile

Word History and Origins

Origin of volatile¹

C17: from Latin volātīlis flying, from volāre to fly

Example Sentences

In delivering her sentence, Judge Kristina Montgomery KC said there had been a "volatile dynamic" between the couple and conflict had been "fuelled by alcohol and substance abuse".

From BBC

Government bonds have been under pressure globally for a number of months, in part due to volatile US trade policy.

From BBC

And Sadr's disappearance also arguably changed the fate of the world's most politically, religiously and ethnically volatile region - the Middle East.

From BBC

As a law student at the University of California’s volatile Berkeley campus in the 1970s, Merrick Bobb was once stopped by an angry Oakland cop and accused of intentionally driving his car toward the officer.

From Los Angeles Times

In this new version, the sour marital conflict from the late 1980s has been transported into a glossy but volatile world of modern ambition.

From BBC

Related Words

• capricious 
• elusive 
• erratic 
• fickle 
• resilient 
• ticklish 
• unsettled 
• unstable