metastable
Americanadjective
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Metallurgy. chemically unstable in the absence of certain conditions that would induce stability, but not liable to spontaneous transformation.
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Physics, Chemistry. Also pertaining to a body or system existing at an energy level metastable state above that of a more stable state and requiring the addition of a small amount of energy to induce a transition to the more stable state.
adjective
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(of a body or system) having a state of apparent equilibrium although capable of changing to a more stable state
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(of an atom, molecule, ion, or atomic nucleus) existing in an excited state with a relatively long lifetime
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of metastable
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.
"The breakthrough that we have is that we are actually stabilizing a metastable structure that has not been reported," Oh said.
From Science Daily • Oct. 17, 2025
Immobile La3+ bonded to F ion inhibits the Li-ion conduction by blocking the conduction path and vanishing the surrounding metastable positions.
From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2024
In this metastable state, even a tiny external influence can cause the system to collapse into one state or another.
From Science Daily • Sep. 25, 2023
That state in neon is also metastable, and this is the one that produces the laser output.
From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015
It's a metastable state at best, all too likely to collapse into tyranny.
From The Sensitive Man by Anderson, Poul William
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.
