instability
Americannoun
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instabilities
plural
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the quality or state of being unstable; lack of stability or firmness.
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the tendency to behave in an unpredictable, changeable, or erratic manner.
emotional instability.
noun
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lack of stability or steadiness
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tendency to variable or unpredictable behaviour
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physics a fast growing disturbance or wave in a plasma
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of instability
1375–1425; late Middle English instabilite < Latin instabilitās. See in- 3, stability
Explanation
Instability is the quality of not being stable, balanced, or predictable. If you've ever walked out onto a diving board, you've probably noticed its instability — meaning the board bends and bounces as you move. Instability comes from the Middle French word instabilite, meaning "unsteadiness." Instability can refer to objects that are not stable, but it can also describe unpredictable situations or relationships. For example, you might hear people talk about economic instability. Or if your behavior at school grows erratic and unpredictable, you might be asked to speak to a therapist about your psychological instability.
Vocabulary lists containing instability
Southeast Asia - Middle School
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Southeast Asia - High School
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Second Democratic Debate 20 words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"The instability of all Friedmann spacetimes to accelerated expansion suggests a simpler, more natural explanation for the acceleration of the universe than dark energy," he said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
The result is a campaign by the network that has the instability of an advertising operation testing different nightmares.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
He fled his native Haiti, which was gripped by political instability and gang warfare.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
James Earl, chief executive of Future Energy Networks, welcomed Jackdaw's approval, saying that "at a time of global instability, gas produced at home strengthens Britain's energy security".
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
“I know what removal would mean. I’m not a child. It would mean complete instability, with no nonimaginary solutions to the positronic Field Equations.”
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
“We now have shocks that unleash endogenous instabilities that trigger new shocks,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Even relatively small disturbances in the plasma, known as instabilities, can grow within milliseconds and disrupt the fusion reaction.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
These persistent instabilities can affect everything from uplift and erosion to inland volcanic patterns, even in regions considered geologically stable.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2025
By measuring the beam's shape and the magnetic fields it generated, the researchers were able to determine whether plasma instabilities could be strong enough to disrupt the beam's flow.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2025
It has experienced almost continuous conflict between nations, internal instabilities in many countries, and regional rivalries, combined with very rapid economic and social change.
From State of the Union Address by Jimmy Carter
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
