mercurial
adjective
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Definition of mercurial
(Entry 1 of 2)
mercurial
nounDefinition of mercurial (Entry 2 of 2)
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Other Words from mercurial
Adjective
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adverb
Synonyms & Antonyms for mercurial
Synonyms: Adjective
capricious, changeable, changeful, fickle, flickery, fluctuating, fluid, inconsistent, inconstant, mutable, skittish, temperamental, uncertain, unpredictable, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, variable, volatile
Antonyms: Adjective
certain, changeless, constant, immutable, invariable, predictable, settled, stable, stationary, steady, unchangeable, unchanging, unvarying
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Examples of mercurial in a Sentence
Adjective
Few moments in English history have been more hungry for the future, its mercurial possibilities and its hope of richness, than the spring of 1603. — Adam Nicolson, God's Secretaries, 2003 Though you could see all three places in one day, each of them makes you want to stay or to keep returning to watch the effects of the changing weather and the mercurial Sicilian light. — Francine Prose, Atlantic, December 2002 Some scientists suggest that because manic-depressive patients are ever riding the bio-chemical express between emotional extremes, their brains end up more complexly wired and remain more persistently plastic than do the brains of less mercurial sorts. — Natalie Angier, New York Times, 12 Oct. 1993 Still grinning, still miming, he samba-ed across the floor … and started in on the dishes with a vigor that would have prostrated his mercurial cousin. — T. Coraghessan Boyle, Harper's, October 1987 the boss's mood is so mercurial that we never know how he's going to react to anything
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
There’s a breakdown scene midway through, when Virginia becomes unmoored by the mercurial Vita’s inattentions, that is both quiet and frightening: Debicki shows us a desperate woman’s mind grinding to a halt. — Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, "In ‘Vita & Virginia,’ literary imagination meet real-life love," 4 Sep. 2019 Leicester City's mercurial playmaker James Maddison is in line for his international debut this week having been called up to Southgate's squad, along with fellow Three Lions newbie Mason Mount. — SI.com, "England vs Bulgaria Preview: Where to Watch, Buy Tickets, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News," 4 Sep. 2019 The mercurial Raiders receiver was the thread that tied Tuesday’s episode together. — Michael Nowels, The Mercury News, "‘Hard Knocks’ awards: Antonio Brown delivers tour-de-force performance," 21 Aug. 2019 The Raiders’ mercurial wide receiver skipped practice Sunday after the NFL rejected his latest helmet choice. — oregonlive.com, "Oakland Raiders’ GM: ’It’s time for (Antonio Brown) to be all-in or all-out’," 19 Aug. 2019 Just like real-life teens, the lives of Lexi (Maude Apatow), Maddy (Alexa Demie), Kat (Barbie Ferreira) and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) are filled with a galaxy of music to match their mercurial moods. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, "Every Song Featured On Season 1 Of 'Euphoria'," 6 Aug. 2019 Think the mercurial Phil Mickelson, or Rory McIlroy. — Rob Hodgetts, CNN, "Tiger Woods misses Open cut, yearns for 'hot weeks'," 19 July 2019 Back in 2015, when the Cavaliers were underachieving and weighing a potential trade for the mercurial shooting guard, there were warnings. — Chris Fedor, cleveland.com, "JR Smith’s legacy with Cleveland Cavaliers is…complicated: Chris Fedor," 16 July 2019 Still, oddsmakers placed Houston's chances of landing the mercurial guard behind the Heat, Pistons and yes, even the dysfunctional Knicks. — Peter Dawson, Houston Chronicle, "Rockets big trade: Everything you need to know about Russell Westbrook, including how to stop hating," 12 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mercurial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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