mercurial

play

adjective mer·cu·ri·al \ (ˌ)mər-ˈkyu̇r-ē-əl \

Definition of mercurial

1 :of, relating to, or born under the planet Mercury

2 :having qualities of eloquence, ingenuity, or thievishness attributed to the god Mercury or to the influence of the planet Mercury

3 :characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood

a mercurial temper

4 :of, relating to, containing, or caused by mercury

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mercurially

play \-ē-ə-lē\ adverb

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mercurialness

noun

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Examples of mercurial in a Sentence

Few moments in English history have been more hungry for the future, its mercurial possibilities and its hope of richness, than the spring of 1603. —Adam Nicolson, God's Secretaries, 2003
Though you could see all three places in one day, each of them makes you want to stay or to keep returning to watch the effects of the changing weather and the mercurial Sicilian light. —Francine Prose, Atlantic, December 2002
Some scientists suggest that because manic-depressive patients are ever riding the bio-chemical express between emotional extremes, their brains end up more complexly wired and remain more persistently plastic than do the brains of less mercurial sorts. —Natalie Angier, New York Times, 12 Oct. 1993
Still grinning, still miming, he samba-ed across the floor … and started in on the dishes with a vigor that would have prostrated his mercurial cousin. —T. Coraghessan Boyle, Harper's, October 1987
the boss's mood is so mercurial that we never know how he's going to react to anything

Recent Examples of mercurial from the Web

Will a club take on the mercurial, yet talented, forward for a rental?

— avi creditor, SI.com, "Transfer Deadline Day: Biggest Stars Who Could Close the Summer Circus," 31 Aug. 2017
With Hurricane Harvey barreling toward Texas, local weather experts are closely watching the storm's mercurial track and development.

— beau evans, NOLA.com, "Hurricane Harvey watch: Thursday video forecast with Fox 8," 24 Aug. 2017
From there the mercurial form of Gale Sayers flows across the defense in a series of blinding cutbacks.

— tim layden, SI.com, "The MMQB All-Time Draft: The Ultimate Football Fantasy," 19 July 2017
That’s partly at the request of McConnell, who views the mercurial president warily and argued his public efforts could backfire.

— philip elliott, Time, "New Senate Republican Health Plan Struggles to Win Over Critics," 14 July 2017
The Cynic Mitch McConnell, a deft and mercurial Republican senator and the majority leader since 2015, is a creature of Washington.

— sarah ellison, The Hive, "A Definitive Guide to the G.O.P. Insiders Enabling Donald Trump," 11 July 2017
Successful deals in the mercurial world of U.S. fashion are rare, and now look even less like ly to succeed as sales dip across the board.

— reuters, Fortune, "Abercrombie & Fitch Ends Sales Talks After Failing to Agree Terms With Potential Suitors," 10 July 2017
There’s much pleasure to be had from the character actors who play the couple’s parents: Holly Hunter (who threatens to steal the film as Emily’s mercurial mom), Ray Romano, Anupam Kher and Zenobia Shroff.

— moira macdonald, The Seattle Times, "‘The Big Sick’ review: Rom-com delivers big doses of charm, heart, drama," 5 July 2017
David Sims considers the future of the HBO show after the mercurial comedian departed under mysterious circumstances.

— the editors, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic's Week in Culture," 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mercurial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The Roman god Mercury ("Mercurius" in Latin) was the messenger and herald of the gods and also the god of merchants and thieves. (His counterpart in Greek mythology is Hermes.) He was noted for his eloquence, swiftness, and cunning, and the Romans named what appeared to them to be the fastest-moving planet in his honor. The Latin adjective derived from his name, mercurialis, meaning "of or relating to Mercury," was borrowed into English in the 14th century as "mercurial." Although the adjective initially meant "born under the planet Mercury," it came to mean also "having qualities of eloquence, ingenuity, or thievishness attributed to the god Mercury or the influence of the planet Mercury," and then "unpredictably changeable."

Origin and Etymology of mercurial

see mercury

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

mercurial Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of mercurial

inconstant, fickle, capricious, mercurial, unstable mean lacking firmness or steadiness (as in purpose or devotion). inconstant implies an incapacity for steadiness and an inherent tendency to change.