instability
Americannoun
-
instabilities
plural
-
the quality or state of being unstable; lack of stability or firmness.
-
the tendency to behave in an unpredictable, changeable, or erratic manner.
emotional instability.
noun
-
lack of stability or steadiness
-
tendency to variable or unpredictable behaviour
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Southeast Asia - High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Second Democratic Debate 20 words
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
It demeans the entire nation, and adds to the instability in the world.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
Five women and three men are in the running to succeed Antonio Guterres as leader of the United Nations, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
None of the works address the recent bombardments directly, although the precarious context of ongoing threat, instability and struggle can be felt in almost all of them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
“The sense of fear and severe anxiety has intensified, and the feeling of uncertainty and instability has grown,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
It was a stable instability that would endure for the rest of Howards life, which was destined to be many decades shorter than Dorothy’s.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities develop when two fluids move alongside one another at different speeds.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
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
When applied to cosmic scales, this suggests that plasma instabilities alone are too weak to account for the missing gamma rays.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2025
If instead the researchers can improve the model's ability to recognize the precursors to these harmful instabilities, it could be possible to optimize the system without encountering a single edge burst.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2024
The correction of endocrine defects, disturbances, imbalances and instabilities, before mating, presents another field.
From The Glands Regulating Personality by Louis Berman M.D.
Definitions 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.
