Words / C2

mur-KY-oorr-ee-uh-l/mɜːˈkjʊəriəl/

Mercurial means mood or opinion changing quickly and unpredictably — literary, a little glamorous, not a clinical diagnosis. Moody is everyday and often negative; changeable is plainer; volatile is closer in news English. Writers use a mercurial talent, a mercurial temper. In speech, up and down or you never know which way they will go is safer. Do not use it as a polite word for unreliable work.

Meaning

Changing mood or opinion quickly and unpredictably (literary/formal).

Examples

• “His mercurial temper made the meeting hard.”
• “His mercurial enthusiasm meant a new plan every Monday.”
• “The market was mercurial that week; overnight optimism vanished.”

Good to know

Quickly changeable (mood, talent, markets). Literary/formal. Everyday: moody / changeable. Close: volatile.

Near in meaning

volatile

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