volatility

C2 Topic:Cause, Change & Process

US /ˌvɑː.ləˈtɪl.ə.t̬i/ UK /ˌvɒl.əˈtɪl.ə.ti/ See IPA manual

Freq #57656

Meanings

1

noun
the tendency of a price, market, or other quantity to change sharply and unpredictably

Currency volatility made it difficult for the company to forecast costs.
2

noun
the tendency of a person, mood, or situation to change suddenly or become explosive

The mediator was concerned by the volatility of the crowd.
3

noun
the physical property of evaporating readily at ordinary temperatures

The solvent's high volatility requires a tightly sealed container.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the tendency of a price,... instability variability fluctuationunpredictability

2 noun · the tendency of a person,... excitabilityinstabilityunpredictability

3 noun · the physical property of... evaporability

Opposites

stability steadiness constancy

Word family

Related forms volatile volatilize variance evaporation

Etymology

From volatile + -ity. Volatile comes from Latin volatilis ('flying, fleeting'), from volare ('to fly'). It was applied to substances that readily 'fly off' as vapor; that physical instability was extended to sudden changes in prices, situations, moods, and behavior.

Topics

Cause, Change & Process

External links

# volatility

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌvɑː.ləˈtɪl.ə.t̬i/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌvɒl.əˈtɪl.ə.ti/
**Frequency rank:** 57656

## Meanings
1. the tendency of a price, market, or other quantity to change sharply and unpredictably
2. the tendency of a person, mood, or situation to change suddenly or become explosive
3. the physical property of evaporating readily at ordinary temperatures

## Examples
- Currency volatility made it difficult for the company to forecast costs.
- The mediator was concerned by the volatility of the crowd.
- The solvent's high volatility requires a tightly sealed container.

## Synonyms
- instability
- variability
- fluctuation
- unpredictability
- excitability
- evaporability

## Antonyms
- stability
- steadiness
- constancy

## Related Forms
- volatile
- volatilize
- variance
- evaporation

## Etymology
From volatile + -ity. Volatile comes from Latin volatilis ('flying, fleeting'), from volare ('to fly'). It was applied to substances that readily 'fly off' as vapor; that physical instability was extended to sudden changes in prices, situations, moods, and behavior.

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process

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