volatile C2+ Topic:Cause, Change & Process US /ˈvɑːlətəl/ UK /ˈvɒlətaɪl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj liable to sudden change; easily evaporated or unstable The market grew volatile after the unexpected announcement. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · liable to sudden change;... unstablechangeablemercurialcapriciousexplosivefickleerraticevaporative ↔ Opposites stablesteadyconstantsettled Word family Derived forms volatilityvolatilizevolatileness Related forms volantvolley Etymology AI details From Latin volatilis ('flying, fleeting'), from volare ('to fly'); originally applied to substances that readily fly off as vapor. volatilis Latin volare Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Cause, Change & Process External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # volatile **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈvɑːlətəl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈvɒlətaɪl/ ## Meanings 1. liable to sudden change; easily evaporated or unstable ## Examples - The market grew volatile after the unexpected announcement. ## Synonyms - unstable - changeable - mercurial - capricious - explosive - fickle - erratic - evaporative ## Antonyms - stable - steady - constant - settled ## Derived Forms - volatility - volatilize - volatileness ## Related Forms - volant - volley ## Roots and Affixes - Root: volatilis - Root: volare ## Etymology From Latin volatilis ('flying, fleeting'), from volare ('to fly'); originally applied to substances that readily fly off as vapor. ## AI Etymology Volatile comes from Latin volatilis ('flying, fleeting'), from volare ('to fly'); originally applied to substances that readily fly off as vapor. The historical trail runs through Latin volatilis and Latin volare. The later sense follows a semantic development already present in the word's history. In modern use it means liable to sudden change; easily evaporated or unstable. Derived formations include volatility, volatilize, volatileness; related forms include volant, volley. ## Topics - Cause, Change & Process markdown