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
The injury casts further doubt on the future of the mercurial star, just two seasons removed from the cusp of what almost assuredly would have been a maximum contract before tearing his left Achilles tendon in January 2018 with New Orleans. — Jon Schultz, SFChronicle.com, "Lakers’ DeMarcus Cousins reportedly suffers torn ACL in workout," 15 Aug. 2019 The mercurial Bishop was a foster kid and his relationship with girlfriend Sophia (Emma Rigby) is falling apart. — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Bulletproof': TV Review," 6 Aug. 2019 And with a voice as magically mercurial as its plot, The Underground Railroad won a National Book Award, a Pulitzer Prize and, perhaps most important, Oprah Winfrey's blessing. — Ron Charles, Dallas News, "In Colson Whitehead's 'The Nickel Boys,' an idealistic black teen learns a harsh reality," 9 July 2019 Which is why all of this social-media nonsense about the Magic possibly acquiring mercurial Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook is nothing but a bunch of Twitter litter. — Mike Bianchi, orlandosentinel.com, "Nikola Vucevic is the anti-Dwight Howard — an all-star who realizes how good he has it in Orlando | Commentary," 8 July 2019 Despite the injury history and mercurial reputation, Cousins could probably help the Pistons. — Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press, "Why DeMarcus Cousins is an unlikely option for Detroit Pistons in free agency," 4 July 2019 The book seems to suggest that the real American inheritance is transformation, and that American transformation is a mercurial thing. — Constance Grady, Vox, "Reading Amelia Bedelia as a parable on domestic labor," 15 June 2019 Pinballing day in and day out with the mercurial Trump is not the best way to fulfill that latter duty. — David Zurawik, baltimoresun.com, "Trump's TV messaging machine not looking quite so mighty these days," 12 July 2018 At one time or another, fat Shawn Kemp, mercurial Nicholas Batum, high school stars-turned-NBA journeymen Sebastian Telfair and Martell Webster and overpaid Evan Turner and Meyers Leonard have all been held in esteem by Portland fans. — Andrew Nemec, OregonLive.com, "Dear LeBron James, apology not accepted! Love, Portland: Commentary," 7 June 2018These 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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