mercuriality
Unpredictable temperament shifts
Mercuriality is the quality of being mercurial—volatile, quick-changing, unpredictable in mood or behavior.
The word derives from Mercury, the swift Roman messenger god, and suggests someone whose temperament shifts rapidly: His mercuriality made him exciting but exhausting to be around.
It implies both liveliness and instability.
Lack of steadfast devotion
- inconstancyLack of steadiness
- mutabilityCapacity for alteration
- variabilityTendency to change
- fluidityState of flowing freely
fluctuation · protean · shifting · wavering · vacillation · inconsistency · unsteadiness · capriciousness
Changeable emotional state
- ficklenessLack of steadfast devotion
- capriciousnessErratic, unpredictable behavior
- inconstancyLack of steadiness
- whimsicalityPlayfully fanciful quality
changeability · volatility · unpredictability · variability · instability · impulsiveness · flightiness · erraticness
Tendency to erupt violently
- instabilityTendency toward unpredictable change
- unpredictabilityState resisting forecasts
- reactivityTendency to chemically combine
- turbulenceChaotic flow patterns
storminess · tempestuousness · combustibility · inflammability · precariousness · touchiness · edginess · hairpin
Mental quickness and skill
- witClever, inventive humor
- brillianceExceptional intelligence or luster
- sharpnessKeenness of edge, mind, or image
- agilityQuickness and ease
vivacity · sprightliness · animation · liveliness · sparkle · quickness · alertness · keenness
fickleness
Lack of steadfast devotion
- inconstancyLack of steadiness
- mutabilityCapacity for alteration
- variabilityTendency to change
fluidity · fluctuation · protean · shifting · wavering · vacillation · inconsistency · unsteadiness · capriciousness · transience
moodiness
Changeable emotional state
- ficklenessLack of steadfast devotion
- capriciousnessErratic, unpredictable behavior
- inconstancyLack of steadiness
whimsicality · changeability · volatility · unpredictability · variability · instability · impulsiveness · flightiness · erraticness · restlessness
explosiveness
Tendency to erupt violently
- instabilityTendency toward unpredictable change
- unpredictabilityState resisting forecasts
- reactivityTendency to chemically combine
turbulence · storminess · tempestuousness · combustibility · inflammability · precariousness · touchiness · edginess · hairpin · flashpoint
cleverness
Mental quickness and skill
- witClever, inventive humor
- brillianceExceptional intelligence or luster
- sharpnessKeenness of edge, mind, or image
agility · vivacity · sprightliness · animation · liveliness · sparkle · quickness · alertness · keenness · nimbleness
mercurialitysteadiness
State of being constant
constancy · stability · consistency · equanimity · steadfastness
mercurialitysluggishness
State of slow movement
lethargy · torpor · inertia · listlessness · laziness