labile

[ ley-bahyl, -buhl ]

/ ˈleɪ baɪl, -bəl /

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adjective

apt or likely to change: the labile nature of language.

(in chemistry, biology, psychiatry, etc.) able or likely to change or break down easily, rapidly, or continually; unstable: labile emotions;labile blood pressure;cellular functions that seem to require different levels of labile zinc.

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Origin of labile

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English labil “(of the mind) wandering, forgetful,” from Latin lābilis “sliding, slipping, (of verse) smooth-flowing,” equivalent to Latin lāb(ī) “to slip” + -ilis -ile

OTHER WORDS FROM labile

la·bil·i·ty

[luh-bil-i-tee, ley-], /ləˈbɪl ɪ ti, leɪ-/, noun

Words nearby labile

labialized, labia majora, labia minora, labiate, Labiche, labile, lability, labilize, labio-, labiodental, labiogression

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use labile in a sentence

“People with a history of trauma and mental illness tend to be emotionally labile,” Kupers added.
How Solitary Confinement Destroys Women|Sarah Shourd|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the contrary the labile opsonins of normal serum have a comparatively general action on different organisms.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2|Various
This is readily intelligible on the supposition that the toxophorous group is more labile than the haptophorous.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2|Various
The latter is ferment-like and much more labile than the former, being readily destroyed at 60 C.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2|Various

In both cases an extremely labile connection with consciousness arises which leads to a rapid forgetting.
Collected Papers on Analytical Psychology|C. G. Jung
We are rather like the labile chemical compounds: our molecules readily rearrange themselves.
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 (of 6)|Havelock Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for labile

labile

/ (ˈleɪbɪl) /

adjective

chem (of a compound) prone to chemical change

liable to change or move

Derived forms of labile

lability (ləˈbɪlɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for labile

C15: via Late Latin lābilis, from Latin lābī to slide, slip

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012