stability

[stuh-bil-i-tee]

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noun, plural sta·bil·i·ties.

the state or quality of being stable.

firmness in position.

continuance without change; permanence.

Chemistry. resistance or the degree of resistance to chemical change or disintegration.

resistance to change, especially sudden change or deterioration: The stability of the economy encourages investment.

steadfastness; constancy, as of character or purpose: The job calls for a great deal of emotional stability.

Aeronautics. the ability of an aircraft to return to its original flying position when abruptly displaced.

Roman Catholic Church. a vow taken by a Benedictine monk, binding him to residence for life in the same monastery in which he made the vow.

Origin of stability

1400–50; < Latin stabilitās, equivalent to stabili(s) stable² + -tās- -ty²; replacing late Middle English stablete < Old French < Latin, as above

Related formsnon·sta·bil·i·ty, nouno·ver·sta·bil·i·ty, nounself-sta·bil·i·ty, noun

Synonyms for stability

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6. steadiness, strength, soundness, poise, solidity, balance.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for stability

strength, support, cohesion, security, balance, establishment, resoluteness, perseverance, toughness, durability, permanence, endurance, steadiness, aplomb, soundness, backbone, solidity, determination, firmness, constancy

Examples from the Web for stability

Contemporary Examples of stability

But that stability can be withdrawn as easily as it was granted.
Cambodia’s Smoke-and-Mirrors Democracy
David Shaftel
January 9, 2015
One specific kind of emergency is at the heart of this, such as when an airplane suffers a loss of stability at night.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?
Clive Irving
January 4, 2015
The pyramids of Meroe await a day when stability will allow outsiders to peek at a forgotten ancient kingdom.
Egypt Ain’t The Only Pyramid Show In Town
Nina Strochlic
December 11, 2014
A Shiite stronghold wrapped in a Sunni explosive belt—not exactly a picture of stability.
The Nuclear Deal That Iran’s Regime Fears Most
Djavad Khadem
November 22, 2014
In a country where stability is still fragile and requires careful tending, Ebola is a wrecking ball.
Liberia’s Ebola Famine
Abby Haglage, Nina Strochlic
November 13, 2014

Historical Examples of stability

The stability of the Whig administration, then in power, depended upon the results.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
Then, again, variety of climate should always go with stability of abode.
Alarms and Discursions
G. K. Chesterton
And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times.
Time's Laughingstocks
Thomas Hardy
Did kind Fates design it as a guarantee of peace and stability?
Mountain Meditations
L. Lind-af-Hageby
But neither can thought or mind be devoid of some principle of rest or stability.
Sophist
Plato

British Dictionary definitions for stability

stability

noun plural -ties

the quality of being stable

the ability of an aircraft to resume its original flight path after inadvertent displacement

meteorol

the condition of an air or water mass characterized by no upward movement
the degree of susceptibility of an air mass to disturbance by convection currents

ecology the ability of an ecosystem to resist change

electrical engineering the ability of an electrical circuit to cope with changes in the operational conditions

a vow taken by every Benedictine monk attaching him perpetually to the monastery where he is professed

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

Word Origin and History for stability

mid-14c., "firmness of resolve, mental equilibrium" (of persons), from Old French stableté, from Latin stabilitatem (nominative stabilitas) "firmness, steadfastness," from stabilis "steadfast, firm" (see stable (adj.)). In physical sense, "difficult to overthrow," it is recorded from early 15c.

stability in Medicine

stability

[stə-bĭl′ĭ-tē]

n.

The condition of being stable or resistant to change.