mercurial

Pronunciation: adjective. Synonyms: capricious, temperamental, impulsive

adjective

Definition of mercurial

having a volatile character; fickle

Synonyms for mercurial

mercurial in a Sentence

  1. He was known for his mercurial temperament.

Why mercurial Matters for GRE & SAT

"mercurial" is a adjective that means "having a volatile character; fickle" closely related to words like "capricious", "temperamental", "impulsive". As a word starting with M, it belongs to a cluster of GRE and SAT vocabulary that test-takers often encounter in Verbal Reasoning, Text Completion, and Reading Comprehension sections.

On the GRE, understanding "mercurial" helps you distinguish between closely related answer choices in Sentence Equivalence questions. On the SAT, recognizing this word in context strengthens your performance on Craft & Structure and Words in Context questions. Seeing how "mercurial" is used in sentences — like the examples above — builds the contextual understanding that standardized tests reward.

Study tip: Start with the definition and part of speech (adjective). Then learn its 3 synonyms to build a word network. Finally, practice with spaced repetition to move "mercurial" into long-term memory.

How to Remember mercurial

One effective way to remember "mercurial" (adjective) is to group it with similar words you already know: "capricious" and "temperamental" and "impulsive". When you encounter "mercurial" on a test, these synonym connections help you quickly recall its meaning — "having a volatile character; fickle".

Use flashcard apps with spaced repetition to review "mercurial" at increasing intervals until it becomes automatic.

  • Mendacious — Not telling the truth; lying or dishonest.
  • macabre — having a quality of horror or grimness
  • magisterial — possessing great authority
  • magnanimous — noble and generous in spirit
  • magnify — To make something appear larger than it is; to intensify
  • maintain — To cause or enable something to continue

More Vocabulary Words Starting with M

  • Mendacious — Not telling the truth; lying or dishonest.
  • macabre — having a quality of horror or grimness
  • macabre — having a quality of horror or grimness
  • magisterial — possessing great authority
  • magisterial — possessing great authority
  • magnanimous — noble and generous in spirit
  • magnanimous — noble and generous in spirit
  • magnify — To make something appear larger than it is; to intensify
  • magnify — To make something appear larger than it is; to intensify
  • maintain — To cause or enable something to continue