Word Meanings - VOLATILE - Book Publishers vocabulary database

1. Passing through the air on wings, or by the buoyant force of the atmosphere; flying; having the power to fly. 2. Capable of wasting away, or of easily passing into the aëriform state; subject to evaporation. Note: Substances which affect the

Additional info about word: VOLATILE

1. Passing through the air on wings, or by the buoyant force of the atmosphere; flying; having the power to fly. 2. Capable of wasting away, or of easily passing into the aëriform state; subject to evaporation. Note: Substances which affect the smell with pungent or fragrant odors, as musk, hartshorn, and essential oils, are called volatile substances, because they waste away on exposure to the atmosphere. Alcohol and ether are called volatile liquids for a similar reason, and because they easily pass into the state of vapor on the application of heat. On the contrary, gold is a fixed substance, because it does not suffer waste, even when exposed to the heat of a furnace; and oils are called fixed when they do not evaporate on simple exposure to the atmosphere. 3. Fig.: Light-hearted; easily affected by circumstances; airy; lively; hence, changeable; fickle; as, a volatile temper. You are as giddy and volatile as ever. Swift. Volatile alkali. See under Alkali. -- Volatile liniment, a liniment composed of sweet oil and ammonia, so called from the readiness with which the latter evaporates. -- Volatile oils. See Essential oils, under Essential.

Possible synonyms: (Same meaning words of VOLATILE)

• Light
• Imponderous
• portable
• unweighty
• buoyant
• volatile
• easy
• digestible
• scanty
• active
• unencumbered
• empty
• slight
• gentle
• unsteady
• capricious
• vain
• frivolous
• characterless
• thoughtless
• unthoughtful
• unconsidered
• inadequate
• incompact
• unsubstantial
• inconsiderable
• not difficult
• bright
• whitish
• trifling
• Hare
• Scarce
• choice
• infrequent
• excellent
• few
• exceptional
• sparse
• unusual
• singular
• uncommon
• incomparable
• extraordinary
• unique
• dispersed
• valuable
• precious
• thin
• Subtile
• Fine
• rare
• refined
• delicate
• nice
• acute

Possible antonyms: (opposite words of VOLATILE)

• Regard
• respect
• notice
• observe

Related words: (words related to VOLATILE)

• BRIGHT
  See I
• SLIGHTNESS
  The quality or state of being slight; slenderness; feebleness; superficiality; also, formerly, negligence; indifference; disregard.
• LIGHT
  licht, OHG. lioht, Goth. liuhap, Icel. lj, L. lux light, lucere to 1. That agent, force, or action in nature by the operation of which upon the organs of sight, objects are rendered visible or luminous. Note: Light was regarded formerly
• UNCOMMON
  Not common; unusual; infrequent; rare; hence, remarkable; strange; as, an uncommon season; an uncommon degree of cold or heat; uncommon courage. Syn. -- Rare; scarce; infrequent; unwonted. -- Un*com"mon*ly, adv. -- Un*com"mon*ness, n.
• SCARCEMENT
  An offset where a wall or bank of earth, etc., retreats, leaving a shelf or footing.
• DISPERSION
  The separation of light into its different colored rays, arising from their different refrangibilities. Dispersion of the optic axes , the separation of the optic axes in biaxial crystals, due to the fact that the axial angle has different values
• UNCONSIDERED
  Not considered or attended to; not regarded; inconsiderable; trifling. A snapper-up of unconsidered trifles. Shak.
• TRIFLE
  trifle, probably the same word as F. truffe truffle, the word being 1. A thing of very little value or importance; a paltry, or trivial, affair. With such poor trifles playing. Drayton. Trifles light as air Are to the jealous confirmation strong
• VALUABLENESS
  The quality of being valuable.
• CAPRICIOUS
  Governed or characterized by caprice; apt to change suddenly; freakish; whimsical; changeable. "Capricious poet." Shak. "Capricious humor." Hugh Miller. A capricious partiality to the Romish practices. Hallam. Syn. -- Freakish; whimsical; fanciful;
• CHOICELY
  1. With care in choosing; with nice regard to preference. "A band of men collected choicely, from each county some." Shak. 2. In a preferable or excellent manner; excellently; eminently. "Choicely good." Walton.
• SLIGHTEN
  To slight. B. Jonson.
• LIGHTSOME
  1. Having light; lighted; not dark or gloomy; bright. White walls make rooms more lightsome than black. Bacon. 2. Gay; airy; cheering; exhilarating. That lightsome affection of joy. Hooker. -- Light"some*ly, adv. -- Light"some*ness, n. Happiness
• DIGESTIBLE
  Capable of being digested.
• SPARSELY
  In a scattered or sparse manner.
• SLIGHTINGLY
  In a slighting manner.
• LIGHTNESS
  The state, condition, or quality, of being light or not heavy; buoyancy; levity; fickleness; delicacy; grace. Syn. -- Levity; volatility; instability; inconstancy; unsteadiness; giddiness; flightiness; airiness; gayety; liveliness; agility;
• PORTABLENESS
  The quality or state of being portable; portability.
• UNIQUE
  Being without a like or equal; unmatched; unequaled; unparalleled; single in kind or excellence; sole. -- U*nique"ly, adv. -- U*nique"ness, n.
• LIGHT-ARMED
  Armed with light weapons or accouterments.
• SELF-ACTIVE
  Acting of one's self or of itself; acting without depending on other agents.
• DISREGARDFULLY
  Negligently; heedlessly.
• CHYLIFACTIVE
  Producing, or converting into, chyle; having the power to form chyle.
• COUNTERACTIVE
  Tending to counteract.
• SUPPORTABLE
  Capable of being supported, maintained, or endured; endurable. -- Sup*port"a*ble*ness, n. -- Sup*port"a*bly, adv.
• DELIGHTING
  Giving delight; gladdening. -- De*light"ing*ly, adv. Jer. Taylor.
• DISRESPECTABILITY
  Want of respectability. Thackeray.
• DRUMMOND LIGHT
  A very intense light, produced by turning two streams of gas, one oxygen and the other hydrogen, or coal gas, in a state of ignition, upon a ball of lime; or a stream of oxygen gas through a flame of alcohol upon a ball or disk of lime; -- called
• PREFINE
  To limit beforehand. Knolles.
• DELIGHTLESS
  Void of delight. Thomson.