Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Roman Mythology Of or relating to the god Mercury.
- adjective Astronomy Of or relating to the planet Mercury.
- adjective Having the characteristics of eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, and thievishness attributed to the god Mercury.
- adjective Containing or caused by the action of the element mercury.
- adjective Quick and changeable in temperament; volatile.
- noun A pharmacological or chemical preparation containing mercury.
from The Century Dictionary.
- [capitalized] Pertaining to the god Mercury; having the form or qualities attributed to Mercury.
- Like Mercury in character; having the moral or mental qualities ascribed to the god Mercury, or supposed by astrologists to belong to those under his star, the planet Mercury; light-hearted; gay; active; sprightly; flighty; fickle; changeable; volatile.
- Pertaining to Mercury as god of trade; hence, pertaining to trade or money-making: as, mercurial pursuits.
- Pertaining to Mercury as herald; hence, giving intelligence; pointing out; directing.
- Pertaining or relating to mercury or quicksilver.
- noun A person possessing any of the attributes of the god Mercury; one of mercurial temperament; a sprightly person; also, one given to trickery; a cheat or thief.
- noun A preparation of mercury used as a drug.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A person having mercurial qualities.
- noun (Med.) A preparation containing mercury.
- adjective Having the qualities fabled to belong to the god Mercury; swift; active; sprightly; fickle; volatile; changeable
- adjective obsolete Having the form or image of Mercury; -- applied to ancient guideposts.
- adjective Of or pertaining to Mercury as the god of trade; hence, money-making; crafty.
- adjective Of or pertaining to, or containing, mercury. See
Mercury , 2. - adjective (Med.) Caused by the use of mercury.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
Volatile ;erratic ;unstable ;flighty ;fickle or changeable intemperament . - adjective
Lively ;clever ;sprightly ;animated ;quick-witted . - adjective Of, or pertaining to the element
mercury ; containing mercury; caused by the action of mercury orquicksilver . - adjective Having
characteristics attributed to the Roman god Mercury, such asswiftness ,eloquence ,shrewdness , andthievishness . - adjective Roman mythology (often capitalized, see Mercurial) Of or pertaining to the
Roman god Mercury . - adjective astronomy (often capitalized, see Mercurial) Of or pertaining to the
planet Mercury ; under the supposedastrological influence of the planet Mercury. - noun A
chemical containing mercury.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury
- adjective liable to sudden unpredictable change
- adjective relating to or containing or caused by mercury
- adjective relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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I guess the "mercurial" is a pretty negative thing.
Kittenpie Pondering kittenpie 2006
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Jobs is often described as mercurial and prone to outbursts, while Cook, who was raised in a small town in Alabama, is polite and soft-spoken, The Times reports.
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Jobs is often described as mercurial and prone to outbursts, while Cook, who was raised in a small town in Alabama, is polite and soft-spoken, The Times reports.
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A number of people have described Denny as "mercurial" - the commanding personality who was sometimes afraid to go onstage.
NPR Topics: News 2010
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A number of people have described Denny as "mercurial" - the commanding personality who was sometimes afraid to go onstage.
NPR Topics: News 2010
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Carlos Zambrano -- who almost defines the term "mercurial" -- can put his head in the game tonight long enough to beat a tough pitcher in Braves made bigger news than their loss last night; just a couple of days after I asked Martin at the Braves released him.
Bleed Cubbie Blue 2009
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Brown has been described as mercurial, even erratic.
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Brown has been described as mercurial, even erratic.
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He's best described as a mercurial person, so there's a chance he might yet change his mind -- selfishly, I hope he does -- but his decision is consistent with the person he is and was and always will be.
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He's best described as a mercurial person, so there's a chance he might yet change his mind -- selfishly, I hope he does -- but his decision is consistent with the person he is and was and always will be.
brtom commented on the word mercurial
"A dark mercurialised face appears, leading a veiled figure."
Joyce. Ulysses, 15
February 5, 2007
kewpid commented on the word mercurial
To be up and down like Mercutio.
November 17, 2007
yarb commented on the word mercurial
I assumed it was after Mercury!
November 18, 2007
kewpid commented on the word mercurial
Oh, it is for Mercury.
Mercutio was named because he is mercurial. Interesting what a missing comma can do.
November 18, 2007
plethora commented on the word mercurial
This word was used a lot to describe me at about seven years old.
July 10, 2008
dontcry commented on the word mercurial
It also, apparently, is used to describe a peri-menopausal woman... or so I've heard.
July 11, 2008
asativum commented on the word mercurial
Just how menopausal is peri-menopausal, then?
July 12, 2008
mohitanand commented on the word mercurial
(of a person) prone to unexpected and unpredictable changes in mood
The fact that Ella’s moods were as mercurial as the weather was problematic for her relationships—it didn’t help that she lived in Chicago
October 1, 2016
Quintesabd commented on the word mercurial
Jerry is abstruse to all her friends, even her family members, because of her mercurial nature.
December 2, 2016