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GRE vocabulary

volatile

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore V words

liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, often for the worse

Word origin: From Latin volare, to fly.

In a sentence

Volatile in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing volatile in a sentence.

The volatile market swung wildly with each piece of news.

The region's volatile politics made long-term investment a gamble that few firms were willing to take.

Synonyms
unstableerraticmercurialexplosive
Antonyms
stablesteady
Usage & nuance

Using “volatile” well

Volatile means liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, often for the worse, applied to markets, moods, or situations. It is the opposite of stable or steady.

Common questions

Questions about “volatile

Volatile (adjective) means liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, often for the worse
Here is volatile used in an example sentence: "The volatile market swung wildly with each piece of news." Another example: "The region's volatile politics made long-term investment a gamble that few firms were willing to take."
Common synonyms for volatile include unstable, erratic, mercurial, explosive.
Antonyms of volatile include stable, steady.
Clusters with unstable, erratic, mercurial, and explosive in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms stable and steady mark the reversed sense.
Yes. Volatile is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

Learn words the way the GRE tests them.

Vocabulary sticks when you meet it in real sentences. Practise these words inside text completion and sentence equivalence questions.