instable

American  

[in-stey-buhl] / ɪnˈsteɪ bəl /

adjective

1. not stable; unstable.

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instable British  

/ ɪnˈsteɪbəl /

adjective

1. a less common word for unstable

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Etymology

Origin of instable

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Latin word instabilis. See in- ³, stable ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

instable

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

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

Yet I suspect my reformation, like most others of the kind, will prove instable as "the baseless fabric of a vision," unless I banish myself entirely from her society.

From The Coquette The History of Eliza Wharton by Hannah Webster Foster

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