roller coaster

¹

noun

1. a small gravity railroad, especially in an amusement park, having a train with open cars that moves along a high, sharply winding trestle built with steep inclines that produce sudden, speedy plunges for thrill-seeking passengers.
2. a car or train of cars for such a railroad.
3. any phenomenon, period, or experience of persistent or violent ups and downs, as one fluctuating between prosperity and recession or elation and despair.

roller-coaster

²

[ roh-ler-koh-ster, roh-li- ]

verb (used without object)

1. to go up and down like a roller coaster; rise and fall:

   a narrow road roller-coastering around the mountain; a light boat roller-coastering over the waves.

2. to experience a period of prosperity, happiness, security, or the like, followed by a contrasting period of economic depression, despair, or the like:

   The economy was roller-coastering throughout most of the decade.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a roller coaster.
2. resembling the progress of a ride on a roller coaster in sudden extreme changeableness.

roller coaster

noun

1. another term for big dipper

Word History and Origins

Origin of roller coaster¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Origin of roller coaster²

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

"I went from, I got a little bit of a head cold to I have cancer, and it was pretty overwhelming. This has been a really fast roller coaster ride of a journey," he said.

From Salon

Seen that way, friendships are love affairs, if platonic ones — and just as much of a roller coaster as romantic ones.

From Los Angeles Times

“If you’re on the expectation roller coaster — it’s going to be this way or that way, everything is going to burn up or be wonderful — it takes its toll.”

From Los Angeles Times

I woefully underestimated the difficulty of the rigged three-point basketball shootout, and she, likewise, misjudged her stomach’s resilience after we went on an irresponsibly fast rotating roller coaster.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s like a really fun wild roller coaster,” quarterback Taylor Heinicke said, “that comes with a cool ending.”

From Los Angeles Times