volatility

noun

vol·​a·​til·​i·​ty ˌvä-lə-ˈti-lə-tē 

plural volatilities

: the quality or state of being volatile: such as

a

: a tendency to change quickly and unpredictably

price volatility

the volatility of the stock market

b

: a tendency to erupt in violence or anger

the volatility of the region

the volatility of his temper

c

: the quality of being readily vaporizable at a fairly low temperature

As each component of crude oil has a different relative volatility, they will evaporate at different temperatures.

—Martin W. Stockel et al.

Examples of volatility in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The recruitment has been part of that — Leipzig bought well and sold the players who needed to leave — but Werner has handled a young squad particularly well, minimising the volatility that was such a feature of their football last season. —Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026

There’s way too much uncertainty and volatility that isn’t grounded in stock fundamentals. —Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2026

The global surge in AI investment continues to benefit technology activity while the sheer volatility on world markets is a boon to trading firms. —Sean Nevin, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026

The Philippines, Japan, Thailand and South Korea, among others, have turned to coal as a stopgap measure to stabilize their power supply amid volatility in oil and natural gas markets. —Julius Cesar Trajano, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1626, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for volatility

• affability
• audibility
• bistability
• capability
• changeability
• contractility
• credibility
• culpability
• disability
• disutility
• durability
• fallibility