mercurial
/mərˈkjʊriəl/
adjective
- Changing suddenly and often; unpredictable in mood or behavior.
- Her mercurial temperament made it hard to know how she would react.
- He had a mercurial personality, cheerful one moment and angry the next.
- The stock market is mercurial, rising and falling without warning.
- Relating to or containing the element mercury.
- The chemist studied mercurial solutions in the lab.
- The old thermometer contained mercurial liquid.
- Mercurial compounds are toxic and must be disposed of carefully.
- Lively, quick, and clever in thought or movement.
- His mercurial mind jumped from one idea to the next.
- The dancer's mercurial movements amazed the audience.
- She had a mercurial wit that kept everyone laughing.
Antonyms
noun
- A drug or preparation containing mercury, formerly used in medicine.
- The patient was given a mercurial to treat the infection.
- Doctors in the 1800s sometimes prescribed mercurials for syphilis.
- Mercurials are rarely used today because of their toxicity.