volatile
Use Volatile in a sentence
ə adjective
1.
evaporating rapidly; passing off readily in the form of vapor: Acetone is a volatile solvent.
2.
tending or threatening to break out into open violence; explosive: a volatile political situation.
3.
changeable; mercurial; flighty: a volatile disposition.
4.
(of prices, values, etc.) tending to fluctuate sharply and regularly: volatile market conditions.
5.
fleeting; transient: volatile beauty.
noun
8.
a volatile substance, as a gas or solvent.
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Volatile
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So is impassive. Does it mean:
| without emotion; apathetic; unmoved. |
| apathetic |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To volatile
Collins
World English Dictionary
volatile (ˈvɒləˌtaɪl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | (of a substance) capable of readily changing from a solid or liquid form to a vapour; having a high vapour pressure and a low boiling point |
| 2. | (of persons) disposed to caprice or inconstancy; fickle; mercurial |
| 3. | (of circumstances) liable to sudden, unpredictable, or explosive change |
| 4. | lasting only a short time: volatile business interests |
| 5. | computing (of a memory) not retaining stored information when the power supply is cut off |
| 6. | obsolete flying or capable of flight; volant |
| —n | |
| 7. | a volatile substance |
| 8. | rare a winged creature |
| [C17: from Latin volātīlis flying, from volāre to fly] | |
| 'volatileness | |
| —n | |
| volatility | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
volatile
1597 "fine or light," also "evaporating rapidly" (1605), from M.Fr. volatile, from L. volatilis "fleeting, transitory, flying," from pp. stem of volare "to fly," of unknown origin. Sense of "readily changing, fickle" is first recorded 1647. Volatiles in M.E. meant "birds, butterflies, and other winged
creatures" (c.1300).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
volatile vol·a·tile (vŏl'ə-tl, -tīl')
adj.
Evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures.
That can be readily vaporized.
Tending to violence; explosive, as of behavior.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
| volatile (vŏl'ə-tl) Pronunciation Key
Changing easily from liquid to vapor at normal temperatures and pressures. Essential oils used in perfumes are highly volatile. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
volatile definition
1.
2.
(1997-06-05)
Example sentences
The market for collectibles is heating up as investors search for something less volatile to put their money in.
Results of rankings can be notoriously volatile, so they should be treated with caution.
The result is a less risky, less volatile investment than any individual junk mortgage bond.
Some of the products of metabolism, called volatile organic compounds, are carried in the breath and can serve as biomarkers.
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