Sekirov Dictionary

volatile

UK /ˈvɒl.əˌtaɪl/US /ˈvɑ.lə.təl/

adjective 10
noun 2
forms 3

adjective10

Evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions.
Of a price, variable or erratic.
•
Fickle.
- Now Mr. Bush plans to pour more arms into this unstable region and add fuel to the volatile powderkeg he has foolishly created. — 2007
Of a person, quick to become angry or violent.
Of a situation potentially violent.
(informal) Of a substance, explosive.
Temporary or ephemeral.
Of memory, whose content is lost when the computer is powered down.
Of a variable etc., having its associated memory immediately updated with any changes in value.
(no longer used) Passing through the air on wings, or by the buoyant force of the atmosphere; flying; having the power to fly.

noun2

A chemical or compound that changes into a gas easily.
•
A variable that is volatile, i.e. has its associated memory immediately updated with any change in value.
- Operations on C++ volatiles do put the compiler on notice that the object may be modified asynchronously, and hence are generally safer to use than ordinary variable accesses. — 2011

forms

volatiles · more volatile · most volatile

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