Volatile definition

(1) Tending to vary often or widely

"Volatile stocks"

"Volatile emotions"

(2) Marked by erratic changeableness in affections or attachments

"Fickle friends"

"A flirt's volatile affections"

(3) Liable to lead to sudden change or violence

"An explosive issue"

"A volatile situation with troops and rioters eager for a confrontation"

(4) Evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures

"Volatile oils"

"Volatile solvents"

(5) A volatile substance; a substance that changes readily from solid or liquid to a vapor

"It was heated to evaporate the volatiles"