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

But the outcome of those talks is uncertain, reflected in recent volatility in the U.S. soy futures market. — Anatoly Kurmanaev, WSJ, "A Surprise Winner From the U.S.-China Trade Spat: Russian Soybean Farmers," 21 Feb. 2019 The social media giant is developing a stablecoin — a type of digital currency pegged to the U.S. dollar — to minimize volatility. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Recode Daily: Wealth managers and charities are looking forward to an IPO-rich 2019," 21 Dec. 2018 Financial markets had been betting on Najib remaining in power, and the currency and stocks are set for more volatility when markets reopen on Monday. — Anuradha Raghu, Bloomberg.com, "Mahathir Picks Lim as Finance Minister, Returns Zeti to Council," 12 May 2018 That’s a signal that investors expect more volatility in the near-term. — Fortune, "What Are Backwardation and Contango? Here's What You Should Know," 10 Feb. 2018 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

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.