destabilize

American  

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

especially British, destabilise

verb (used with object)

destabilizes, present (3rd person singular) destabilized, past participle, past destabilizing present participle

1. to make unstable; rid of stabilizing attributes.

   conflicts that tend to destabilize world peace.

---

destabilize British  

/ diːˈsteɪbɪˌlaɪz /

verb

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• destabilization
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• destabilizing
  present
• destabilized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• destabilize
  simple
• destabilizes
  simple
• have destabilized
  perfect
• has destabilized
  perfect
• am destabilizing
  progressive
• are destabilizing
  progressive
• is destabilizing
  progressive
• have been destabilizing
  perfect progressive
• has been destabilizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• destabilized
  simple
• had destabilized
  perfect
• was destabilizing
  progressive
• were destabilizing
  progressive
• had been destabilizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will destabilize
  simple
• will have destabilized
  perfect
• will be destabilizing
  progressive
• will have been destabilizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of destabilize

First recorded in 1930–35; de- + stabilize

Explanation

To destabilize something is to undermine it, or to make it much less stable. Seeming uncertain or confused can destabilize a teacher's ability to control a class. Political protesters might seek to destabilize a government or other institution, and lying to your best friend can destabilize your relationship. In both cases, the underlying stability of a situation is shaken, or made less sturdy. The earliest use of destabilize was in a physical sense, if something was literally unstable or shaky. By the 1920s, the word came to also have a more political meaning.

Related Words

• diminish
• lessen
• thwart
• undermine