volatility

volatility — noun

1. The tendency of financial markets, prices, or economic conditions to change sudd

1.nounB2
Definition

The tendency of financial markets, prices, or economic conditions to change suddenly and unpredictably, often in a way that creates risk or instability.

Example

The volatility of oil prices made it hard for airlines to plan their budgets.

collocation: volatility of [commodity]

Investors worried about the volatility in the stock market after the election results came in.

Common collocations
  • market volatility
  • price volatility
  • stock market volatility
  • economic volatility
  • period of volatility
  • volatility index
  • high / low volatility
Synonyms
  • instability

    Broader term; can apply to any unstable state, not just markets

  • unpredictability

    Focuses on the inability to forecast, with less emphasis on risk

  • fluctuation

    Describes regular up-and-down movement rather than sudden dramatic change

Antonyms
  • stability

    The state of being steady and unlikely to change

  • steadiness

    Implies consistent, reliable behaviour over time

Grammar Patterns

volatility + of + noun phrase

adjective + volatility

Usage Note

Commonly modified by 'market', 'price', 'economic', or 'political'. Often appears in phrases like 'increase in volatility', 'period of volatility', 'high/low volatility'. The adjective 'volatile' is more frequent in everyday speech than the noun form.

Common Mistakes

The volatility of the weather surprised us.
The unpredictability of the weather surprised us.
'volatility' in this sense is primarily used for financial and economic contexts, not for general weather patterns.
There was high volatility in his weight this year.
There was a lot of fluctuation in his weight this year.
'volatility' suggests sudden, risky change; 'fluctuation' is better for regular up-and-down movement.

2. The tendency of a person to become angry, upset, or excited very quickly and wit

2.nounB2
Definition

The tendency of a person to become angry, upset, or excited very quickly and without warning, making their moods hard to predict.

Example

Nila could not predict her brother's moods because of his emotional volatility.

collocation: emotional volatility

The coach warned that Selim's temper volatility could hurt their chances of winning the match.

collocation: temper volatility

Common collocations
  • emotional volatility
  • temper volatility
  • volatility of mood
  • volatile personality
Synonyms
  • moodiness

    Less intense; describes frequent mood changes without necessarily involving anger

  • irritability

    Focuses on getting annoyed easily, but may not involve sudden outbursts

  • explosiveness

    Similar intensity, emphasizes the sudden and forceful nature of the reaction

Antonyms
  • calmness

    The state of being relaxed and not easily upset

  • composure

    The ability to stay in control of one's emotions

Grammar Patterns

possessive + volatility

emotional / temper volatility

Usage Note

Subject is typically a person or a person's mood, temper, or behaviour. 'Emotional volatility' and 'temper volatility' are the most common collocations. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 refers specifically to sudden anger or mood changes in people, not general market or price instability.

Common Mistakes

His volatility made him a great leader.
His volatility made it hard for the team to trust his decisions.
'volatility' in this sense has a strongly negative connotation; it is rarely used positively.
The volatility of the political situation made everyone nervous.
The instability of the political situation made everyone nervous.
Use sense 1 (PRICES / MARKETS) for economic or political situations; sense 2 is reserved for people's emotions and temper.

3. The quality of a substance that makes it turn into vapour quickly when exposed t

3.nounC1
Definition

The quality of a substance that makes it turn into vapour quickly when exposed to only a small amount of heat.

Example

The high volatility of gasoline means it can catch fire easily if not stored correctly.

collocation: high volatility

Wren compared the volatility of ethanol and water in her chemistry lab report.

Common collocations
  • high / low volatility
  • chemical volatility
  • volatility of a compound
Synonyms
  • evaporability

    More general; refers to the ability to turn into vapour under normal conditions

  • vaporizability

    Technical term; emphasises the capacity to be turned into vapour

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

volatility + of + substance

high / low volatility

Usage Note

Subject is a chemical substance. Common in scientific and technical writing, especially in laboratory reports, safety data sheets, and chemistry textbooks. The adjective 'volatile' is used more often in everyday language for substances like perfume or fuel.

Word family

  • volatile
    adjectiveB2
  • volatilize
    verbC1
  • volatilization
    nounC2
  • non-volatile
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a lack of steady state, but they differ in focus and context. 'Instability' is the broadest term, applying to political systems, emotional states, or mechanical structures — it implies something is fundamentally not secure or settled. 'Unpredictability' focuses on the difficulty of forecasting what will happen next; it can be neutral or even exciting (e.g. the unpredictability of a sports match), whereas 'volatility' almost always carries negative risk. 'Fluctuation' describes regular, often small, up-and-down movement over time (e.g. temperature fluctuations), while 'volatility' implies sudden, large, and risky swings. 'Turbulence' is closer to volatility in intensity but is more common in physical contexts (air travel) or extended metaphor (political turbulence). For financial markets, 'volatility' is the most precise term: 'The volatility index rose sharply during the crisis' would not sound natural with 'fluctuation' or 'unpredictability' alone.

instability ↗unpredictabilityfluctuationturbulence ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • increase in volatility
  • period of volatility
  • level of volatility
  • volatility index

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Derived from the Latin word 'volatilis', meaning 'flying' or 'swift', from the verb 'volare' (to fly). The idea was that something volatile was so light it could 'fly away' as vapour. English adopted 'volatile' in the early 1600s for substances that evaporate quickly. By the 1800s it was being used to describe people with 'flighty' or unpredictable tempers, and in the 1900s economists applied it to markets and prices that change suddenly — as if they too could 'fly off' in any direction.