# volatile

/ˈvɑɫətəɫ/ (US) · /vˈɒlɐtˌaɪl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/volatile
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. unpredictable mood or situation

adjective · CEFR B2

likely to change suddenly and unexpectedly, especially by becoming violent or angry.

For teachers: characterised by or subject to rapid and unexpected change, often of an emotional or situational nature.

- The political situation in the region remains volatile after the recent elections.
- The witness described a volatile domestic environment where minor disagreements frequently escalated into physical confrontations.

### 2. financial markets

adjective · CEFR C1 · Academic

changing quickly and often, especially in value or price.

For teachers: tending to fluctuate sharply and regularly in value or price.

- Investors are worried about the volatile stock market this month.
- The central bank warned that volatile exchange rates could undermine the recovery of the export sector over the next fiscal year.

### 3. chemistry

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

describing a liquid that changes into a gas very easily.

For teachers: evaporating rapidly at normal temperatures and pressures.

- Petrol is a volatile liquid that should be stored in a cool place.
- The laboratory technician handled the volatile solvents under a fume hood to prevent the inhalation of toxic vapours.

### 4. computing memory

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

describing computer memory that loses its data when the power is turned off.

For teachers: retaining data only as long as power is supplied; data is lost upon power termination.

- RAM is volatile memory, so you must save your work to the hard drive.
- The system architecture relies on volatile cache memory to speed up processing, though critical logs are mirrored to a persistent storage device.

### 5. a substance

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a substance that changes into a gas easily.

For teachers: a substance that readily vaporises at relatively low temperatures.

- The moon's surface is very dry and contains few volatiles like water.
- Geologists analysed the volcanic gases to determine the concentration of volatiles released during the eruption.

## Examples

- The stock market has been very volatile this week.
- Investors are nervous because the political situation in the region remains highly volatile and could change at any moment.
- While the chemical compound is extremely volatile and requires careful storage, the primary concern for the laboratory staff was the researcher's own volatile temper during high-pressure experiments.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.