as in volatile
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly
the boss's mood is so mercurial that we never know how he's going to react to anything
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Recent Examples of mercurial
Gelles avoids lionizing Patagonia’s leader, describing Chouinard’s mercurial leadership style that often bewildered his staff at Patagonia.
—
Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Oct. 2025
President Javier Milei, Argentina’s charismatic but mercurial leader, had been lauded until recent weeks for turning his nation’s economy around after 2023.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
Then there’s Frederik, a mercurial sort who’s a truth teller and can sometimes be found conducting loud classical music while cooking a gourmet meal.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Yet Trump’s mercurial nature has given other presidential scholars, who cited the president’s six-month journey to even suggest that Vance and Rubio were in the running to succeed him, some hesitancy.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mercurial
Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Oct. 2025
President Javier Milei, Argentina’s charismatic but mercurial leader, had been lauded until recent weeks for turning his nation’s economy around after 2023.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
Then there’s Frederik, a mercurial sort who’s a truth teller and can sometimes be found conducting loud classical music while cooking a gourmet meal.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Yet Trump’s mercurial nature has given other presidential scholars, who cited the president’s six-month journey to even suggest that Vance and Rubio were in the running to succeed him, some hesitancy.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mercurial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercurial
Adjective
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With a roster that includes Margot Robbie, Miles Teller and Brooke Shields, Ullman says tariff anxiety shoehorned into an already volatile market and tense political climate has pushed clients to be far more conservative.—
Trey Williams,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Oct. 2025
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Gold has seen historic gains in 2025, its more-than-50% surge surpassing previous volatile periods such as after the September 11 attacks, the 2008 financial crisis or even the Covid-19 pandemic.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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His characters were often brutally unpredictable.—
Joy Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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New York can be very unpredictable and has been this season.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mercurial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercurial. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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