From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmercurialmer‧cu‧ri‧al /mɜːˈkjʊəriəl $ mɜːrˈkjʊr-/ adjective 1 literaryEMOTIONAL having feelings that change suddenly and without warning an actor noted for his mercurial temperament2 literaryENERGETIC quick and clever her mercurial wit3 technicalHCE containing mercury
Examples from the Corpus
mercurial• It is diverse, volatile, and mercurial.• His mercurial and fickle temperament left him with few friends.• Nothing, no sign of our mercurial companion.• Indeed, anyone who does not master this mercurial context will be mastered by it.• Flamboyant, mercurial creatures, they had passionate wills of their own; they exercised a devious, seductive fascination.• the actress's infamous mercurial nature• Nobody could have been more opposite to the flamboyant Sukarno, or even the haughty Jinnah or the mercurial Nehru.• Certain deficiencies, of vitamins or iodine, can be harmful, and there are serious dangers from mercurial or lead poisoning.• We could turn to the law for justice rather than depend on the mercurial whims of some benevolent or dictatorial boss. 