labile

American  

[ley-bahyl, -buhl] / ˈleɪ baɪl, -bəl /

adjective

1. apt or likely to change.

   the labile nature of language.

2. (in chemistry, biology, psychiatry, etc.) able or likely to change or break down easily, rapidly, or continually; unstable.

   labile emotions;

   labile blood pressure;

   cellular functions that seem to require different levels of labile zinc.

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labile British  

/ ˈleɪbɪl, ləˈbɪlɪtɪ /

adjective

1. chem (of a compound) prone to chemical change

2. liable to change or move

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Other Word Forms

• lability noun

Etymology

Origin of labile

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English labil “(of the mind) wandering, forgetful,” from Latin lābilis “sliding, slipping, (of verse) smooth-flowing,” equivalent to Latin lāb(ī) “to slip” + -ilis -ile

Example Sentences

When Didion expresses guilt that her adopted daughter is in such a “labile” state, he offers:

From Los Angeles Times

Someone with high IIV might be considered an emotionally labile person.

From Scientific American

Inserting Blanchett’s labile performance into a grid or a bubble amounts to a dissection of emotion, which is perhaps what personality types are all about.

From Los Angeles Times

“These memories become labile for a short time, and then they actually have to be reconsolidated and laid down again,” he says.

From Nature

Arias, an exciting and emotionally labile actor, makes Anna a jittery creature, like a woman in the constant throes of a low-grade fever.

From New York Times