Words / M / General

mercurial

adjective/mɜːˈkjʊəriəl/

C1CEFR level
65/100Rarity: rare
FormalRegister

Prone to sudden, unpredictable changes of mood.

His mercurial temper kept the whole team on edge.

Similar: volatile, capricious, erratic

Origin: from the god Mercury, quick and changeable.

Topic: Mind & character in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More general words: Mind & character