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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adj. Roman Mythology Of or relating to the god Mercury.
  2. adj. Astronomy Of or relating to the planet Mercury.
  3. adj. Having the characteristics of eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, and thievishness attributed to the god Mercury.
  4. adj. Containing or caused by the action of the element mercury.
  5. adj. Quick and changeable in temperament; volatile: a mercurial nature.
  6. n. A pharmacological or chemical preparation containing mercury.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. [capitalized] Pertaining to the god Mercury; having the form or qualities attributed to Mercury.
  2. 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.
  3. Pertaining to Mercury as god of trade; hence, pertaining to trade or money-making: as, mercurial pursuits.
  4. Pertaining to Mercury as herald; hence, giving intelligence; pointing out; directing.
  5. Pertaining or relating to mercury or quicksilver. Containing or consisting of quicksilver or mercury: as. mercurial preparations or medicines.
  6. n. 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.
  7. n. A preparation of mercury used as a drug.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. Volatile; erratic; unstable; flighty; fickle or changeable in temperament.
  2. adj. Lively; clever; sprightly; animated; quick-witted.
  3. adj. Having characteristics attributed to the Shakespeare character Mercutio , such as volatile, erratic, unstable, and shrewdness.
  4. adj. Of, or pertaining to the element mercury; containing mercury; caused by the action of mercury or quicksilver.
  5. adj. Having characteristics attributed to the Roman god Mercury, such as swiftness, eloquence, shrewdness, and thievishness.
  6. adj. (often capitalized, see Mercurial) Of or pertaining to the Roman god Mercury.
  7. adj. (often capitalized, see Mercurial) Of or pertaining to the planet Mercury; under the supposed astrological influence of the planet Mercury.
  8. n. A chemical containing mercury.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adj. Having the qualities fabled to belong to the god Mercury; swift; active; sprightly; fickle; volatile; changeable.
  2. adj. Having the form or image of Mercury; -- applied to ancient guideposts.
  3. adj. Of or pertaining to Mercury as the god of trade; hence, money-making; crafty.
  4. adj. Of or pertaining to, or containing, mercury. See Mercury, 2.
  5. adj. Caused by the use of mercury.
  6. n. A person having mercurial qualities.
  7. n. A preparation containing mercury.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adj. relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury
  2. adj. liable to sudden unpredictable change
  3. adj. relating to or containing or caused by mercury
  4. adj. relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury

Etymologies

  1. Middle English, of the planet Mercury, from Latin mercuriālis, of the god or planet Mercury, from Mercurius, Mercury.

Examples

  • “I guess the "mercurial" is a pretty negative thing.”

    Kittenpie Pondering

  • “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.”

    Breaking News: CBS News

  • “A number of people have described Denny as "mercurial" - the commanding personality who was sometimes afraid to go onstage.”

    NPR Topics: News

  • “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

  • “Brown has been described as mercurial, even erratic.”

    The Huffington Post: Jerry Brown's Long and Winding Road

  • “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.”

    The Huffington Post: Joaquin Phoenix Retires

  • “As a businesswoman, she was called mercurial, cunning, cynical, and calculating, but personally she was softhearted and had a passion for helping the less fortunate who called her “the Angel of the West”.”

    BLACK WOMEN OF THE OLD WEST

  • “He's best described as a mercurial person, so there's a chance he might yet ...”

    James Gray: Joaquin Phoenix Retires

  • “McCain is described as mercurial and adversarial; he has become notorious for his temper tantrums and many believe he suffers from untreated Post Traumatic Stress Disorder resulting from his six years as a P.O.W. Despite these marked personal differences, the starkest contrast between Obama and McCain is in their worldviews.”

    Obama-McCain: Lincoln vs. Rambo

  • “He was very often described as mercurial, difficult to work with.”

    CNN Transcript Jan 22, 2006

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Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘mercurial’.

Comments

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  • asativum Just how menopausal is peri-menopausal, then? Jul 12, 2008

  • dontcry It also, apparently, is used to describe a peri-menopausal woman... or so I've heard. Jul 11, 2008

  • plethora This word was used a lot to describe me at about seven years old. Jul 10, 2008

  • kewpid Oh, it is for Mercury.

    Mercutio was named because he is mercurial. Interesting what a missing comma can do. Nov 18, 2007

  • yarb I assumed it was after Mercury! Nov 17, 2007

  • kewpid To be up and down like Mercutio. Nov 17, 2007

  • brtom "A dark mercurialised face appears, leading a veiled figure."
    Joyce. Ulysses, 15 Feb 5, 2007

‘mercurial’ has been looked up 3525 times, loved by 26 people, added to 228 lists, commented on 7 times, and has a Scrabble score of 13.