volatile Hear it!

volatile definition

vola·tile (väl′ə təl; chiefly Brit, -tīl′)

adjective

  1. Obsolete flying or able to fly; volitant
  2. vaporizing or evaporating quickly, as alcohol
    1. likely to shift quickly and unpredictably; unstable; explosive a volatile social condition
    2. moving capriciously from one idea, interest, etc. to another; fickle
    3. not lasting long; fleeting
  4. Comput. designating or of memory that does not retain stored data when the power supply is disconnected

Etymology: MFr < L volatilis < volare, to fly

noun

  1. any flying creature
  2. a volatile substance

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

business volatile definition - business

medical volatile definition - medical

volatile Synonyms

volatile

modif.

  1. Having the qualities of a gas

    light, airy, imponderable, subtle, buoyant, gaseous, gasiform, vaporous, vapory, vaporizable, evaporable, effervescent, expansive, resilient, elastic.

    Antonyms heavy*, dense*, solid. *

  2. Having a sprightly temperament

    lively, light-hearted, vivacious, gay, animated, merry, flippant, teasing, playful, sprightly; see also active 1, 2, happy 1.

    Antonyms solemn*, demure*, quiet. *

  3. Liable to sudden change

    unstable, unpredictable, explosive; see changeable 1, 2.

  4. Fickle

    frivolous, capricious, whimsical; see changeable 1, fickle 2.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

volatile Usage Examples

Preposition: against

  • currency: Sterling has been very volatile against the other currencies this week, in particular the Australian Dollar.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • make: Sadly the modern game has higher stakes than the past which in turn has made the game more volatile.

Modifies a noun

  • compound: The volatile compounds released are then analyzed in real time.

Modifying Another Word

  • notoriously: Nor would joining the euro promote greater stability when it has been so notoriously volatile so far.

Used with adjective complement

  • remain: However, the situation on the ground remains volatile, concluded Travers.

Preposition: than

  • market: Investments in small and emerging markets can be more volatile than other more developed markets.
volatile usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"volatile." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/volatile>

APA Style

volatile. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/volatile

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