as in unpredictable
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly
a boss of volatile moods is frustrating to work for
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Recent Examples of volatile
Still, oil prices have proven volatile over the course of the Iran war, some analysts noted.
—
Max Zahn, ABC News, 13 June 2026
As the crew invades his space and a volatile director (Pyper-Ferguson) pushes him to his limits the line between Levi and his character dissolves.
—William Earl, Variety, 12 June 2026
Flying is the company’s second Nova-C lander named Athena featuring NASA’s PRIME-1 drill, to land a drill and mass spectrometer near the south pole of the moon in order to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026
Behind every incident of shoplifting, intimidation, verbal abuse or violence is a retail worker being asked to manage situations that are becoming increasingly volatile.
—Alliance Manchester Business School, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for volatile
Max Zahn, ABC News, 13 June 2026
As the crew invades his space and a volatile director (Pyper-Ferguson) pushes him to his limits the line between Levi and his character dissolves.
—William Earl, Variety, 12 June 2026
Flying is the company’s second Nova-C lander named Athena featuring NASA’s PRIME-1 drill, to land a drill and mass spectrometer near the south pole of the moon in order to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026
Behind every incident of shoplifting, intimidation, verbal abuse or violence is a retail worker being asked to manage situations that are becoming increasingly volatile.
—Alliance Manchester Business School, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for volatile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for volatile
Adjective
-
The two men emerged from a crowded field of candidates in the most unpredictable governor’s race in more than a quarter of a century.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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Prices are subject to rapid, unpredictable changes due to factors like, but not limited to, supply/demand, weather, and geopolitical events.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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As the front moves into very warm, unstable air, some storms could turn severe.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
12 June 2026
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More growth funded by unstable cash flow can create pressure that does not show up immediately.—
Michael Shribman,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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Because interest rates are often variable, payments can fluctuate over time, your minimum payment could decrease or increase significantly over the life of the loan.—
Kevin Cerveny,
Kansas City Star,
15 June 2026
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All three also support variable refresh rate to automatically adjust for performance or battery savings.—
Matthew Buzzi,
PC Magazine,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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Debra Shore, a former administrator of the EPA’s Midwestern office who lives part time in Michigan City, said the federal proposal could create inconsistent protections throughout the Great Lakes — notably neighboring states like Indiana and Illinois.—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
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The zipper merge also helps vehicles avoid coming to a complete stop, which can lead to sudden lane switching, inconsistent driving speeds that cause crashes, long back-ups and road rage.—
Rashad Alexander,
Kansas City Star,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
Rigorous, blustery winter; winding sleety spring; hot, moist enervating summer; changeful autumn with its dog-days; these are absolutely unknown.—
San Diego Union-Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Jan. 2023
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Hers is the kind of face that inspires directors to tight framing — gleaming, as if smoothed from marble, and yet somehow pliant, changeful.—
Jordan Kisner Jack Davison,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2022
Adjective
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With roughly 1,390 ballots still outstanding, the race remained unsettled, though Ortiz would need to win more than three-quarters of the remaining ballots to overtake him in a contest that has remained neck-and-neck.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2026
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And while data about discontinuation and long-term use is somewhat unsettled, researchers are uniform in their view that longer treatment duration yields better outcomes.—
Lev Facher,
STAT,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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Between Richards’ health, Ream’s age and the uncertain roles of McKenzie and Robinson, center back is the USMNT’s most fluid position.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
11 June 2026
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The fate of roughly $2 billion annually that was intended to help reduce wildfire risk, promote clean water and build affordable housing, along with other efforts across California, is uncertain as the Legislature races to pass a state budget by Monday.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Volatile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/volatile. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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