the property of changing readily from a solid or liquid to a vapor
"The highly volatile chemicals in the lab were stored away because they evaporated instantly when exposed to warm air."
the trait of being unpredictably irresolute
"the volatility of the market drove many investors away"
being easily excited
"The crowd's volatility made it difficult to keep them calm during the announcement."
The state of being volatile
"The sudden volatility in the stock market caused investors to panic sell their holdings immediately."
The state of having a low boiling point and evaporating readily
"The high volatility of gasoline makes it essential to store fuel in tightly sealed containers away from heat sources."
In plain English: Volatility is how quickly and wildly something changes, especially when prices go up and down fast.
"The stock market's volatility made investors nervous about their savings."
Usage: In financial contexts, volatility refers to the degree of variation in asset prices rather than physical evaporation. Avoid using this term for general instability unless specifically discussing markets or chemical substances.
The word volatility comes from the Latin-derived adjective volatile, meaning "easily evaporated," combined with the suffix -ity to form a noun. It entered English through French and originally described substances that turned into vapor quickly before coming to mean sudden or unpredictable changes in behavior or markets.