Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Roman Mythology Of or relating to the god Mercury.
- adj. Astronomy Of or relating to the planet Mercury.
- adj. Having the characteristics of eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, and thievishness attributed to the god Mercury.
- adj. Containing or caused by the action of the element mercury.
- adj. Quick and changeable in temperament; volatile: a mercurial nature.
- n. A pharmacological or chemical preparation containing mercury.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- [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. Containing or consisting of quicksilver or mercury: as. mercurial preparations or medicines.
- 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.
- n. A preparation of mercury used as a drug.
Wiktionary
- adj. Volatile; erratic; unstable; flighty; fickle or changeable in temperament.
- adj. Lively; clever; sprightly; animated; quick-witted.
- adj. Of, or pertaining to the element mercury; containing mercury; caused by the action of mercury or quicksilver.
- adj. Having characteristics attributed to the Roman god Mercury, such as swiftness, eloquence, shrewdness, and thievishness.
- adj. Roman mythology (often capitalized, see Mercurial) Of or pertaining to the Roman god Mercury.
- adj. astronomy (often capitalized, see Mercurial) Of or pertaining to the planet Mercury; under the supposed astrological influence of the planet Mercury.
- n. A chemical containing mercury.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Having the qualities fabled to belong to the god Mercury; swift; active; sprightly; fickle; volatile; changeable.
- adj. obsolete Having the form or image of Mercury; -- applied to ancient guideposts.
- adj. Of or pertaining to Mercury as the god of trade; hence, money-making; crafty.
- adj. Of or pertaining to, or containing, mercury. See Mercury, 2.
- adj. (Med.) Caused by the use of mercury.
- n. A person having mercurial qualities.
- n. (Med.) A preparation containing mercury.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury
- adj. liable to sudden unpredictable change
- adj. relating to or containing or caused by mercury
- adj. relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury
Etymologies
- Middle English, of the planet Mercury, from Latin mercuriālis, of the god or planet Mercury, from Mercurius, Mercury. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“I guess the "mercurial" is a pretty negative thing.”
“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.”
“A number of people have described Denny as "mercurial" - the commanding personality who was sometimes afraid to go onstage.”
“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.”
“Brown has been described as mercurial, even erratic.”
“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.”
“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”.”
“He's best described as a mercurial person, so there's a chance he might yet ...”
“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.”
“He was very often described as mercurial, difficult to work with.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘mercurial’.
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POL - scandalous (single words only)
acolyte, archrival, backhander, backlash, baksheesh, bashing, boo, bribery, cadre, chicanery, clash, coercion and 256 more...
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sdamle1
echt
echt, apocalypse, resurgence, forthright, logorrhea, mercurial, torrid, exorcise, obscure, intrusive, morose, vindictive and 100 more...
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allover
reintegrate, spight, surveillant, harmonize, Colophon, workplace, bigoted, unsighted, bridgework, salutation, voltmeter, octane and 159 more...
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phrontistery - m
from phrontistery.info
multiloculate, multilocation, multiflorous, multifid, multifarious, multicipital, multeity, multarticulate, multanimous, mulse, mullock, mullion and 898 more...
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AFET - diplomacy
broker a peace ac..., client state, deadlocked peace ..., embassy, freeze, goodwill ambassador, hinterland, interfere in dome..., intervene personally, maintain technica..., mediation, no business as usual and 670 more...
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my fab list
blowsabella, aperçu, froideur, salubrious, abject, gallipot, mumchance, wainscot, virago, macerate, lascivious, clandestine and 181 more...
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POL - scandalous (words and collocati...
Words and collocations associated with political scandal
blow the whistle, boo, cronyism and rigging, democratic deficit, denigrate, dirty linen, fiasco, finger pointing a..., graft, hidden account, hush money, illicit financing... and 578 more...
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GRE 2014
abase, abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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GRE
droll, dyspeptic, ebullient, ardor, edify, efficacy, malinger, mannered, martinet, maudlin, mendacious, mendicant and 102 more...
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DAY6_01/09/2013
derived from person's name
mesmerize, gerrymander, hector, pollyannaish, chauvinist, pyrrhic, kafkaesque, quixotic, maudlin, panglossian, malapropism, quisling and 6 more...
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To Be or Not To Be
Words to live by (or not)
prescient, polyglot, fatuous, phlegmatic, mendacious, pithy, philistine, perspicacious, epicure, ebullient, probity, profligate and 9 more...
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gre2
aberrant, aberration, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate and 1896 more...
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GRE Reference
A list of words unfamiliar to me that I have repeatedly encountered in GRE question sets.
parochial, clique, salacious, aegis, ostracize, conceited, sacrilegious, inane, serendipity, gourmand, polemic, tenuous and 138 more...
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ICE
quincunx, adoxography, panjundrum, breloque, surd, scripturient, rousant, favrile, embouchure, aquarelle, griffonage, sussultatory and 234 more...
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Need to Know!
elicit, educe, refute, cogency, churlish, martinet, veritable, polyglot, dissemble, histrionics, prevarication, verbiage and 166 more...
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Week 1, Day 1
ignominy, marquee, deter, chariot, stern, perfidy, treacherous, insolent, presumptuous, banish, dubious, livid and 133 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for mercurial.

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