Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
volatility - 3 dictionary results
Wells Fargo Advisors
 Request a Free Whitepaper on Market Volatility. Learn More Now.
 www.WellsFargoAdvisors.com
Turn-key Trading Solution
 Complete Package of Data, Custom Analysis, & Trading Tools.
 www.TradeStation.com

vol⋅a⋅tile

  [vol-uh-tl, -til or, especially Brit., -tahyl]
Use volatility in a Sentence
–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.
6. Computers. of or pertaining to storage that does not retain data when electrical power is turned off or fails.
7. able to fly or flying.
–noun
8. a volatile substance, as a gas or solvent.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME < L volātilis, equiv. to volāt(us) (ptp. of volāre to fly; see -ate 1 ) + -ilis -ile

Related forms:
vol⋅a⋅til⋅i⋅ty  [vol-uh-til-i-tee] , vol⋅a⋅tile⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
2. eruptive, unstable, unsettled.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To volatility
vol·a·tile   (vŏl'ə-tl, -tīl')   
adj.  
  1. Chemistry
    1. Evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures.
    2. That can be readily vaporized.
    3. Tending to vary often or widely, as in price: the ups and downs of volatile stocks.
    4. Inconstant; fickle: a flirt's volatile affections.
    5. Lighthearted; flighty: in a volatile mood.
    6. Ephemeral; fleeting.
    1. Tending to vary often or widely, as in price: the ups and downs of volatile stocks.
    2. Inconstant; fickle: a flirt's volatile affections.
    3. Lighthearted; flighty: in a volatile mood.
    4. Ephemeral; fleeting.
  3. Tending to violence; explosive: a volatile situation with troops and rioters eager for a confrontation.
  4. Flying or capable of flying; volant.

[French, from Old French, from Latin volātilis, flying, from volātus, past participle of volāre, to fly.]
vol'a·tile n., vol'a·til'i·ty (-tĭl'ĭ-tē), vol'a·tile·ness (-tl-nĭs, -tīl'-) n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Volatility

1. A statistical measure of the tendency of a market or security to rise or fall sharply within a period of time.

2. A variable in option pricing formulas that denotes the extent to which the return of the underlying asset will fluctuate between now and the expiration of the option.

Investopedia Commentary

Volatility is typically calculated by using variance or annualized standard deviation of the price or return. A measure of the relative volatility of a stock to the market is its beta. A highly volatile market means that prices have huge swings in very short periods of time.

Related Links

The Uses And Limits Of Volatility
The ABCs of Option Volatility
Gauging Sentiment with the Volatility Index
Introduction to Value at Risk (VAR) - Part 1

See also: Average True Range (ATR), Beta, Futures, Hedge, Standard Deviation, VIX - CBOE Volatility Index, VXN - CBOE Nasdaq Volatility Index

Also spelled: volitility

Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see volatility on Thesaurus | Reference
Wells Fargo Advisors
 Request a Free Whitepaper on Market Volatility. Learn More Now.
 www.WellsFargoAdvisors.com
Turn-key Trading Solution
 Complete Package of Data, Custom Analysis, & Trading Tools.
 www.TradeStation.com