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I've come up with "dramatic," but that doesn't really capture the whole idea, and I'm not sure if the word I'm looking for exists.

Here is an example of how I would use it:

My mom is so [word]. Every time I do the littlest thing wrong she gets upset, but she never stays mad long.

Eva
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  • It is difficult to capture this characteristic in a single word. You could say "quick-tempered but forgiving". – ermanen Nov 12 '19 at 03:51
  • Near-duplicate of https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/20450/word-describing-the-reversal-of-emotions – Stuart F Apr 19 '23 at 21:17

3 Answers3

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If you wanted to convey the idea of "Every time I do the littlest thing wrong she gets upset", then you might be looking for the word "sensitive", meaning that they pay extra attention to what others do.

To convey the idea of a vastly fluctuating mood, I think you may be looking for the word "mercurial", used to describe someone's mood or behaviour as vastly unpredictable.

QuIcKmAtHs
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  • Thank you @QuIcKmAtHs - I did think of "volatile," like mercurial, but with both those and sensitive I feel like they don't really show the forgiveness aspect, which is key... – Eva Nov 12 '19 at 01:08
  • @Eva I would think volatile and mercurial are synonyms of one another. – QuIcKmAtHs Nov 12 '19 at 01:10
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EMOTIONAL is my suggestion. I've known a few such folks. Their emotions spike in a sequence of directions in response to every little thing. FLIGHTY is a second offering.

AdvenJack
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You could call her volatile, defined by Cambridge as:

likely to change emotional state very suddenly, especially by becoming angry

alphabet
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  • OP has: 'I did think of "volatile," like mercurial, but with both those and "sensitive" I feel like they don't really show the forgiveness aspect, which is key... – Eva ' – Edwin Ashworth May 19 '23 at 11:57