Meanings
adjectivevolatile (comparative more volatile, superlative most volatile)
comparative more volatile · superlative most volatile
- chemistryEvaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions.
- businessOf a price, variable or erratic.
Its pricing is highly volatile — and therefore highly risky. For all its nosebleed ascents, bitcoin also has had some gut-punching plunges. Between November 2021 and November 2022, for example, the price of bitcoin dropped 75%, from $64,455 to $16,196, according to data on coinmarketcap.com.
2024 November 19, Jeanne Sahadi, “Bitcoin has smashed records. Should you invest?”, in CNN Business, archived from the original on 04 Jun 2025 - Fickle.
Now Mr. Bush plans to pour more arms into this unstable region and add fuel to the volatile powderkeg he has foolishly created.
2007 August 1, “Unwise Arms Deal With Saudi Arabia (2 Letters)”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 26 Nov 2022Synonyms: changeable, erratic, unpredictable
- Temporary or ephemeral.
Synonyms: fleeting, passing, transitory, earthly, ephemeral, brief, deciduous, evanescent
- Of a situation potentially violent.
- computingOf a variable etc., having its associated memory immediately updated with any changes in value.
This method stores a value into a non-volatile field called result, then stores true in the volatile field finished. The main thread waits for the field finished to be set to true, then reads the field result.
2010, Jon Jagger, Nigel Perry, Peter Sestoft, Annotated C# Standard, page 467 - obsoletePassing through the air on wings, or by the buoyant force of the atmosphere; flying; having the power to fly.
nounvolatile (plural volatiles)
plural volatiles
- computingA variable that is volatile, i.e. has its associated memory immediately updated with any change in value.
Operations on C++ volatiles do put the compiler on notice that the object may be modified asynchronously, and hence are generally safer to use than ordinary variable accesses.
2011, Victor Pankratius, Ali-Reza Adl-Tabatabai, Walter Tichy, Fundamentals of Multicore Software Development, page 74
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOf a person, quick to become angry or violent.
adjectiveFickle.
adjectiveTemporary or ephemeral.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveevaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures
Similar
Opposite
adjectivemarked by erratic changeableness in affections or attachments
Similar
adjectivetending to vary often or widely
Similar
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinvolātilis“flying; swift; temporary; volatile”
- Middle Frenchvolatile
- Englishvolatile
From Middle French volatile, from Latin volātilis (“flying; swift; temporary; volatile”), from volō (“to fly”).
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans vlugtig
- vlugtigevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
Arabic مُتَطَايِر, مُتَقَلِّب
- مُتَطَايِر (mutaṭāyir)evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- مُتَقَلِّب (mutaqallib)(of a price etc) variable or erratic
Bulgarian летлив, непостоя́нен
- летлив (letliv)evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- непостоя́нен (nepostojánen)fickle
- временен (vremenen)temporary or ephemeral
- краткотраен (kratkotraen)temporary or ephemeral
Catalan volàtil
- volàtilevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
Chinese Mandarin 易揮發的 /易挥发的, 動蕩不定的 /动荡不定的
- 易揮發的 /易挥发的evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- 動蕩不定的 /动荡不定的(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- 易變的 /易变的fickle
- 易怒的(of a situation) potentially violent
Czech prchavý, těkavý
- prchavýevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- těkavýevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- náladovýquick to become angry
- prchlivýquick to become angry
- vztahovačnýquick to become angry
- nestálý(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- nestálýfickle
- přelétavýfickle
- prchavýtemporary or ephemeral
- výbušný(of a situation) potentially violent
Dutch vluchtig, licht ontvlambaar
- vluchtigevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- licht ontvlambaarevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- tijdelijktemporary or ephemeral
Finnish haihtuva, räjähdysherkkä
- haihtuvaevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- räjähdysherkkä(informal) explosive
- räjähdysherkkäquick to become angry
- vaihteleva(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- volatiili(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- häilyväinenfickle
- häilyväinentemporary or ephemeral
- lyhytkestoinentemporary or ephemeral
- epävakaa(of a situation) potentially violent
- haihtuva(computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down
French volatil, volatil
- volatilevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- volatil(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- volatil(computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down
German volatil, flüchtig
- volatilevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- flüchtigevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- verdunstendevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- leichtflüchtigevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- explosiv(informal) explosive
- brisant(informal) explosive
- aufbrausendquick to become angry
- labilquick to become angry
- volatilquick to become angry
- schwankend(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- unbeständig(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- unstet(of a price etc) variable or erratic
Greek πτητικός, εκρηκτικός
- πτητικός (ptitikós)evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- εκρηκτικός (ekriktikós)(informal) explosive
- ευμετάβλητος (evmetávlitos)(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- ρευστός (refstós)(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- ευμετάβλητος (evmetávlitos)fickle
- επιπόλαιος (epipólaios)fickle
- άστατος (ástatos)fickle
- προσωρινός (prosorinós)temporary or ephemeral
- εφήμερος (efímeros)temporary or ephemeral
- εκρηκτικός (ekriktikós)(of a situation) potentially violent
- πτητική (ptitikí)(computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down
Hebrew נדיף
- נדיף (nadif)evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
Hungarian illékony, illó
- illékonyevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- illóevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- ingadozó(of a price etc) variable or erratic
Indonesian asiri, mudah menguap
- asirievaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- mudah menguapevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- peledak(informal) explosive
- darah tinggiquick to become angry
- naik turun(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- mudah berubah(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- rentanfickle
- sementaratemporary or ephemeral
- kisruh(of a situation) potentially violent
- volatil(computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down
- meruap(computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down
Irish luaineach
- luaineachevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
Italian volatile, volatile
- volatileevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- volatile(informal) explosive
- suscettibilequick to become angry
- instabile(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- incostante(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- variabile(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- volubilefickle
- temporaneotemporary or ephemeral
- effimerotemporary or ephemeral
- instabile(of a situation) potentially violent
- volatile(computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down
Japanese 揮発性, 発破
- 揮発性 (kihatsusei)evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- 発破 (happa)(informal) explosive
- 爆弾 (bakudan)(informal) explosive
- 一触即発 (isshokusokuhatsu)(of a situation) potentially violent
Korean 휘발성의
- 휘발성의 (hwibalseong'ui)evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
Malay meruap
- meruapevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
Māori tākohukohu, pūkākā
- tākohukohuevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- pūkākāquick to become angry
- kirikawaquick to become angry
Norwegian flyktig, eksplosiv
- flyktigevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- eksplosiv(informal) explosive
- labil, ustadig, ustabilfickle
Polish lotny, niestabilny
- lotnyevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- niestabilny(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- zmienny(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- ulotnytemporary or ephemeral
- nieuchwytnytemporary or ephemeral
- napięty(of a situation) potentially violent
- ulotny(computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down
Portuguese volátil, instável
- volátilevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- instável(of a price etc) variable or erratic
Romanian volatil, efemer
- volatilevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- efemertemporary or ephemeral
Russian лету́чий, вспыльчивый
- лету́чий (letúčij)evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- вспыльчивый (vspylʹčivyj)quick to become angry
- изме́нчивый (izménčivyj)(of a price etc) variable or erratic
- непостоя́нный (nepostojánnyj)fickle
- изме́нчивый (izménčivyj)fickle
- лету́чий (letúčij)temporary or ephemeral
- энергозависимый (energozavisimyj)(computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down
Slovak prchavý
- prchavýevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
Spanish volátil
- volátilevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
Swedish flyktig, eterisk
- flyktigevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- eteriskevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- volatil(of a price etc) variable or erratic
Thai ลบเลือนได้
- ลบเลือนได้ (lópleuandâi)evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
Turkish uçucu
- uçucuevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
Ukrainian літки́й, мінли́вий
- літки́й (litkýj)evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- мінли́вий (minlývyj)(of a price etc) variable or erratic
Vietnamese dễ bay hơi
- dễ bay hơievaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
Welsh hydarth, anweddol
- hydarthevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
- anweddolevaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with volatile
filewhilestylemilechilesmileisletilecompilekylepileNileCarlisleworthwhileawhileaisleLylereptilebileargyllguileCarlyleargylevile
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
volatile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/volatile
MLA
“volatile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/volatile. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “volatile,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/volatile.
Source: volatile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.