destabilize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
destabilizesimple
-
destabilizessimple
-
have destabilizedperfect
-
has destabilizedperfect
-
am destabilizingprogressive
-
are destabilizingprogressive
-
is destabilizingprogressive
-
have been destabilizingperfect progressive
-
has been destabilizingperfect progressive
Past
-
destabilizedsimple
-
had destabilizedperfect
-
was destabilizingprogressive
-
were destabilizingprogressive
-
had been destabilizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of destabilize
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.
Vocabulary lists containing destabilize
Africa - Middle School
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Africa - High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Earth Science - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
While these pathways normally support tumor growth, excessive activation can destabilize normal cellular functions and ultimately lead to cell death.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 29, 2026
Brokerages don’t like when shares are immediately resold because it can destabilize the IPO price and strain relationships with underwriters, Taube says.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
Despite the pointed rhetoric, Sheinbaum has stopped short of accusing Trump directly of trying to destabilize her government.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Strong winds can destabilize the spinning column or cause it to collapse altogether.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026
They might “build on public panic to further destabilize the system by disseminating rumors” and therefore “increase media coverage” and “stress the public health system.”
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
SYDNEY—New Zealand’s economic recovery remained frustratingly tentative in the fourth quarter of last year, with economists warning that the outlook faces fresh threats as the war in the Middle East destabilizes the world economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
It spreads into South Sudan, it destabilizes South Sudan, it spreads into Chad, it’s got refugees in Egypt.
From Slate ● Nov. 20, 2025
Gating, in contrast, occurs when a heavy ion flow disrupts the charge balance and destabilizes the pore's structure.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 11, 2025
Nick’s energized romantic do-si-do destabilizes the group, and gives them something new to gossip about and compare their own lives with as they wobble through the ensuing year.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2025
The heat destabilizes the emulsion and the separate oil and water phases will reform.
From Salon ● Jan. 2, 2024
In January 2022, the landfast sea ice in the embayment suddenly broke apart, likely due to powerful ocean swells that destabilized the region.
From Science Daily ● May 19, 2026
Meanwhile, Tuesday marked four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — a war that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and destabilized European security.
From Salon ● Feb. 25, 2026
These actions undermined the slaveholders’ power, destabilized systems of slavery and, in some cases, hastened the enactment of emancipatory laws.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
“We’re going to see increased targeting of Venezuelans to force them to leave the U.S. into a political and socioeconomic environment that’s likely only more destabilized and subject to more abuse,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2026
I thought Ocean would wake up, dizzy and destabilized by this emotional train wreck to discover that it hadn’t been worth it, actually; that I hadn’t been worth it.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
Other fears, such as destabilizing job loss, strike me as overblown or unduly speculative.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Watching egocentrism augment in real time, on a mass scale, is as heartbreaking and destabilizing as death itself.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
“If the answers are honest and you can afford it without destabilizing yourself, have the best time and go! Don’t let anyone guilt you out of joy you’ve budgeted for,” she told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 2026
Instead of targeting genetic mutations, the team found a method for destabilizing the machinery cancer cells use to repair DNA.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
Mine shafts were bored through the earth like holes through Swiss cheese, often destabilizing whole valleys.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
