VOLATILE Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

volatile

adjective

ˈvä-lə-tᵊl

Definition of volatile

as in unpredictable

likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly a boss of volatile moods is frustrating to work for

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of volatile That drew condemnation in the volatile region that remains ethnically divided more than three decades after the war, which started when Bosnia's Serbs took control over swaths of the country's territory to form their own state. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 Hiring has been stifled in part by high uncertainty, high interest rates, high inflation and volatile policy shifts and geopolitical developments. — Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026 Rockwell subsequently appeared in the director’s offbeat comedy drama Seven Psychopaths, and later won the supporting actor Oscar for his performance as a volatile cop in McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026 Solar heating typically increases cometary activity by causing volatile ices to turn directly into gas, releasing dust that reflects sunlight. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for volatile

Recent Examples of Synonyms for volatile

Adjective

The bond market is unpredictable, and falling rates doesn’t always necessarily mean that buying a home will become more affordable.

— Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
This means its long-lasting effects are unpredictable, according to Harder.

— Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of unpredictable

Adjective

Risk assessments should examine where a river bends, where slopes are unstable and where a single failure could cut off several communities.

— Victoria Milko, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Significant political risk remains due to Venezuela's unstable government and historical tendency to renege on oil agreements.

— Michael Lynch, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of unstable

Adjective

Pacific Northwest - Severe snow drought across the Cascades, followed by heat, dryness, and wildfire concerns, is expected to produce a more variable and abbreviated season.

— Doyle Rice, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026
The theory was that by increasing the number of players in the game, there would be more variable squad selections and outcomes.

— Theo Lloyd-Hughes, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of variable

Adjective

Von Arx, one of the researchers, said the behavior appeared inconsistent with what OpenAI would intentionally want its agents to do.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
Authorities stopped vehicles owned by Metur associates 14 times in the back half of August, with reviews of drivers' documents that lasted up to an hour, van Duijnhoven said, and punishments that were inconsistent and severe.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of inconsistent

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
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

Definition of changeful

Adjective

The unsettled partisan lines around this issue have allowed anger, rooted in decades of deindustrialization and public austerity, to flourish in the electorate.

— Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026
South Florida’s turbulent weather since the weekend that killed a mother and her daughter, spawned an Everglades wildfire, and mixed heat with storms looks to remain unsettled — including for Friday’s Miami Dolphins home game.

— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of unsettled

Adjective

So many teams began the season in a state of turmoil, with key players uncertain over their future and positions unfilled.

— Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
The forecast then becomes uncertain, as one model suggests a stronger system could bring cooler weather and rain, while another keeps the heat in place.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of uncertain

Browse Nearby Words

voids

volatile

volatileness

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“Volatile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/volatile. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of volatile

adjective

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