volatility

noun

vol·a·til·i·ty | \ ˌvä-lə-ˈti-lə-tē

plural volatilities

Definition of volatility

: 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 measure dropped for the third consecutive month in January, largely because of market volatility and the partial government shutdown. — A Wsj Staff Reporter, WSJ, "Economy Week Ahead: U.S. Consumer Confidence, GDP and More," 24 Feb. 2019 In March, its shares briefly crossed the $925 billion mark, but recent market volatility and concerns over the company's iPhone business slowed things down. — Eli Blumenthal, USA TODAY, "After Buffett comments, strong earnings Apple inches towards being the first $1-trillion company," 7 May 2018 Chris Ailman, chief investment officer at California State Teachers' Retirement System, discusses the impact of recent equity market volatility on his investment strategy. — Bloomberg, "CalSTRS CIO Ailman Says February Was a Tough Month," 1 Mar. 2018 Soros, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, said digital coins cannot function as actual currencies because of their volatility. — Bloomberg.com, "Powell: Moderate Wage Gains Show Job Market Not Excessively Tight," 6 Apr. 2018 Photo: Getty The strong January employment report offers one promising data point for Federal Reserve officials who are trying to gauge how the U.S. economy weathered increased market volatility and slowing global growth at the end of last year. — Nick Timiraos, WSJ, "January Jobs Report Won’t Change the Fed’s New Wait-and-See Stance," 1 Feb. 2019 Before the downturn, Adi had discussed many times with his clients market volatility and the importance of sticking with an investment plan. — Stan Choe, The Seattle Times, "For young investors, jumpy market presents first big test," 28 Jan. 2019 The working Americans have faced increasing income volatility, income inequality. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "Full Q&A: ‘Temp’ author Louis Hyman on Recode Decode," 29 Aug. 2018 The volatility of the situation made those who spoke to The Times careful not to criticize their competitors. — John Cherwa, latimes.com, "Kentucky Derby puts a spotlight on horse racing's competitive infighting," 30 Apr. 2018

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