volatile
/'vɔlətail/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Easily evaporated at normal temperatures: Describes a substance that changes quickly from a liquid or solid state into a vapor.
- Liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse: Describes a situation, condition, or emotion that is unstable, tense, and likely to erupt suddenly.
- Marked by erratic changeableness in moods or interests: Describes a person's temperament or attachments as fickle, inconstant, or prone to sudden shifts.
Noun:
- A volatile substance: A material, especially a chemical compound, that evaporates readily at normal pressures and temperatures.
Examples
Adjective:
- Gasoline is a highly volatile liquid. (It evaporates very easily.)
- The political situation in the region remains volatile. (It is unstable and could become violent.)
- He has a volatile temper, so it's hard to predict his reaction. (His mood changes suddenly and often.)
Noun:
- The experiment required removing all volatiles from the sample. (All easily evaporated substances had to be taken out.)
Advanced Usage
- In computing: "Volatile memory" refers to computer memory (like RAM) that requires power to maintain stored information; it is lost when the power is turned off.
- Make sure to save your work; it's stored in volatile memory.
Variants and Related Words
- Volatility (noun): The quality or state of being volatile.
- The volatility of the stock market makes investors nervous.
- Volatilize (verb): To cause a substance to become volatile; to evaporate.
- Heat will volatilize the solvent.
Synonyms
- Adjective (for changeability): Unstable, unpredictable, mercurial, capricious, erratic.
- Adjective (for evaporating): Evaporative, vaporous.
- Noun: Solvent (in some contexts), vapor.
Related Phrases
- Volatile organic compound (VOC): A specific chemical term for organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature.
- Paints often contain volatile organic compounds.
Idioms
- A volatile mix: A combination of elements that is very likely to cause a sudden, often violent, reaction.
- Poverty and political oppression created a volatile mix that led to revolution.
Adjective
- tending to vary often or widely
- volatile stocks
- volatile emotions
- marked by erratic changeableness in affections or attachments
- fickle friends
- a flirt's volatile affections
- liable to lead to sudden change or violence
- an explosive issue
- a volatile situation with troops and rioters eager for a confrontation
- evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures
- volatile oils
- volatile solvents
Noun
- a volatile substance; a substance that changes readily from solid or liquid to a vapor
- it was heated to evaporate the volatiles