Volatile
adjective /ˈvɒl.ə.taɪl/ — Likely to change rapidly and unpredictably.
Definition
Liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse. In chemistry: evaporating easily at normal temperatures. Used of markets, situations, emotions, or temperaments.
Beyond the definition
Volatile is a word that puts you on edge. A volatile market, a volatile relationship, a volatile temper — all carry the same risk: things could shift without warning. The word doesn't tell you what will happen; only that you can't be sure what won't.
Origin & history
From Latin volatilis ('flying, fleeting'), from volare ('to fly'). The original meaning was literal flight — things that evaporate into the air. What flies away is what can't be held.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The stock market was volatile that week, rising and falling with each new headline.
His volatile temper made every conversation feel like it was balanced on a knife's edge.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Volatile” when the meaning fits your context: Liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse. In chemistry: evaporating easily at normal temperatures. Used of markets, situations, emotions, or temperaments.
Synonyms
unstable, unpredictable, erratic, mercurial, capricious
Antonyms
stable, steady, predictable, consistent
Related words
- mercurial
- erratic
- capricious
- turbulent
Volatile vs erratic
Erratic means deviating unpredictably from a pattern — the erratic driver, the erratic schedule. Volatile emphasises the potential for sudden, dramatic change, often in the direction of instability or danger: a volatile market, a volatile temper. Erratic describes irregular behaviour; volatile describes the potential for things to blow up. Something erratic is hard to predict; something volatile might explode. Volatile is the more alarming of the two.
Compare this word
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Colors in constant, unpredictable flux
An artist's palette shows swirling, multi-colored pigments that blend into new, subtle, and shifting shades as the brush moves across them.
The pigments do not stay the same but shift rapidly, representing a volatile state. This illustrates something liable to change unpredictably, showing how potential can be both dynamic and difficult to fix in a single, stable form.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Volatile" mean?
Volatile is adjective meaning: Likely to change rapidly and unpredictably.. Liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse. In chemistry: evaporating easily at normal temperatures. Used of markets, situations, emotions, or temperaments.
Where does the word "Volatile" come from?
From Latin volatilis ('flying, fleeting'), from volare ('to fly'). The original meaning was literal flight — things that evaporate into the air. What flies away is what can't be held.