destabilize

American  

[dee-stey-buh-lahyz] / diˈsteɪ bəˌlaɪz /

especially British, destabilise

verb (used with object)

destabilized, destabilizing

1. to make unstable; rid of stabilizing attributes.

   conflicts that tend to destabilize world peace.

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destabilize British  

/ diːˈsteɪbɪˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to undermine or subvert (a government, economy, etc) so as to cause unrest or collapse

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Other Word Forms

• destabilization noun

Etymology

Origin of destabilize

First recorded in 1930–35; de- + stabilize

Example Sentences

And when the words “I love you” feel too destabilizing — too irreversible — there is always another, softer confession available: “You like tuna melt?”

From Salon

Community leaders across the country are warning that it has the potential to destabilize neighborhoods and entire cities, just as it did in Springfield.

From Salon

Some lawmakers in Europe and the U.S. say inverters could be exploited to destabilize the grid.

From The Wall Street Journal

Done too aggressively, it also risks draining reserves too much, destabilizing funding markets and creating volatility for short-term borrowing rates.

From MarketWatch

Within it, Briggs describes concrete strategies that military aggressors employ to destabilize their opponents, but the indirect impacts achieve the same as the direct.

From Salon

Related Words

• diminish
• lessen
• thwart
• undermine