instability

[ in-stuh-bil-i-tee ]
See synonyms for instability on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the quality or state of being unstable; lack of stability or firmness.

  2. the tendency to behave in an unpredictable, changeable, or erratic manner: emotional instability.

Origin of instability

1
1375–1425; late Middle English instabilite<Latin instabilitās.See in-3, stability

Words Nearby instability

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use instability in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for instability

instability

/ (ˌɪnstəˈbɪlɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. lack of stability or steadiness

  2. tendency to variable or unpredictable behaviour

  1. physics a fast growing disturbance or wave in a plasma

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012