volatile

C2+ Topic:Cause, Change & Process

US /ˈvɑːlətəl/ UK /ˈvɒlətaɪl/ See IPA manual

adj

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;... unstable changeable mercurial capricious explosive fickle erraticevaporative

Opposites

stable steady constant settled

Word family

Derived forms volatility volatilizevolatileness

Related forms volantvolley

Etymology

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

# 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

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volatile

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