mercurial
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Having a lively or volatile character.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
merkyooreeuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
mɚkˈjʊɹiəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
comparable
Having a lively or volatile character; animated, changeable, quick-witted.
Alternative letter-case form of mercurial.
noun
astrology
A person born under the influence of the planet Mercury; hence, a person having an eloquent, quickwitted, furtive, or volatile character.
chemistry
A chemical compound containing mercury.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Word Aura is being prepared for this meaning.
More ways to use mercurial
- “The Mercurial canals.”adjective
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An ointment containing mercury.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: having a lively or volatile character
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “mercurial” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.