instable
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of instable
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Latin word instabilis. See in- 3, stable 2
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.
Moreover, the conflict is becoming more drawn out, and even if it subsides there is a risk of an instable resolution where Iranian nuclear material and know-how leaks out to hostile groups around the Gulf.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 10, 2026
But they’re still a little too instable in some areas to pull through and play to the level of their talent.
From Washington Post ● May 15, 2017
The resultant situation, being profoundly unsatisfactory, would also be instable.
From Essays in Radical Empiricism by William James
Skill was slowly obtained, and success, though integrity and independence must be given for it, dubious and instable.
From Memoirs of Carwin, the Biloquist by Charles Brockden Brown
His narrow head and thin blood and instable nerve, his calculating humour and his frigid egoism, disinclined him to all games of chance.
From Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 1 of 3) Essay 1: Robespierre by John Morley
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.
