ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsMmercurial
ISEE/SSAThard
mercurial
Meaning: changing mood or behavior suddenly and unpredictably
mercurial in a sentence
How mercurial is used in real sentences:
The mercurial coach shifted from praise to anger without warning.
Because the director was mercurial, rehearsals could be warm one day and bitter the next.
“Mara's response could be mercurial: one afternoon she joked with the committee, while the next she abruptly swept its cheerful sketches from the table.”
— from the passage Against the Metal
Synonyms for mercurial
Other words for mercurial — fickle, volatile and changeable — carry the same meaning.
Antonyms of mercurial
Words that mean the opposite of mercurial:
- stable
- constant
- predictable
Where it comes from
From Latin Mercurius, the swift and changeable Roman god Mercury.
Memory hook
MERCURY moves quickly; a mercurial mood changes just as fast.