mercurial

adjective
UK: /mɜːˈkjʊəriəl/
US: /mərˈkjʊriəl/

  1. Changing mood quickly and often.

    1. His mercurial temper made him difficult to live with.
    2. The artist's mercurial personality was reflected in his constantly evolving work.

  2. Lively and quick.

    1. She has a mercurial wit that keeps us all entertained.
    2. The play's mercurial pace kept the audience on the edge of their seats throughout.

  3. Subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mind or temperament.

    1. The stock market can be mercurial, rising and falling without warning.
    2. Because of his mercurial nature, John found it hard to keep long term relationships.

Synonyms

lively mutable effervescent erratic fickle capricious animated unpredictable volatile
mercurial noun

  1. A drug containing mercury.

    1. The old medical book described the mercurial as a cure-all.
    2. The apothecaries of the 18th century used a large selection of mercurial.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "mercurial" in English means: Changing mood quickly and often., Lively and quick., Subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mind or temperament..

The phonetic transcription of "mercurial" is /mɜːˈkjʊəriəl/ in British English and /mərˈkjʊriəl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "mercurial": lively, mutable, effervescent, erratic, fickle, capricious, animated, unpredictable, volatile.

Example usage of "mercurial": "His mercurial temper made him difficult to live with.". More examples on the page.