stability

American  

[stuh-bil-i-tee] / stəˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

• stabilities
  plural

1. the state or quality of being stable.

2. firmness in position.

3. continuance without change; permanence.

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

5. resistance to change, especially sudden change or deterioration.

   The stability of the economy encourages investment.

6. steadfastness; constancy, as of character or purpose.

   The job calls for a great deal of emotional stability.

   Synonyms:

   balance, solidity, poise, soundness, strength, steadiness

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

8. 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.

---

stability British  

/ stəˈbɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. the quality of being stable

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

3. meteorol

   1. the condition of an air or water mass characterized by no upward movement

   2. the degree of susceptibility of an air mass to disturbance by convection currents

4. ecology the ability of an ecosystem to resist change

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

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonstability
  noun
• overstability
  noun
• self-stability
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• stabilities
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of stability

First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin stabilitās, from stabili(s) stable ² + -tās -ty ²; replacing late Middle English stablete, from Old French, from Latin, as above

---

Explanation

Stability is the quality of being unchanging. You know you should be congratulated on your commitment to stability when you’ve lived in the same place your whole life. Stability is often used to describe buildings or structures that won't collapse or fall down. Good tires will help you maintain stability on snowy or icy roads. You can use the word more figuratively for a safe environment or a healthy mental state. Financial and political stability are to be desired. Hopefully you will provide your children stability and love. When you have violent outbursts, people began to doubt your mental stability.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stability stabilities

“While we expect some higher direct input costs from elevated market prices and planned maintenance to support continued operational stability, the underlying performance remains very strong headed into the final quarter of the year.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

After numerous scandals under Moore, McDonnell was seen as offering stability while the city prepared for the massive security challenges of the World Cup and Olympic Games.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

"I heard, I would say, resolve from my colleagues around the world to deliver price stability," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

My main concern: The one complication is that I have some reservations about the long-term stability of my younger son’s marriage.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

I try to grab one of the barrels for stability, but they’re rolling around from the force of the waves.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

"Many stability-based concepts, characteristics and phenomena within the physical sciences find analogous expression in the influences on the relative stabilities of socio-political systems."

From Science Daily ● Jan. 11, 2024

In 2021, Li and his team offered one way to deal with dendrites by designing a multilayer battery that sandwiched different materials of varying stabilities between the anode and cathode.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 8, 2024

Salzmann, C. G., Mayer, E. & Hallbrucker, A. Thermal properties of metastable ices IV and XII: comparison, isotope effects and relative stabilities.

From Nature ● Nov. 7, 2017

In the preceding problem, what are the stabilities of the equilibria 0 < P1 < P2 ?

From Textbooks ● Mar. 30, 2016

There are three stabilities of existence: what cannot be otherwise, what should not be otherwise, what cannot be imagined better; and in these all shall end, in the Circle of Felicity.

From The Destiny of the Soul A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life by William Rounseville Alger

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• balance
• cohesion
• establishment
• security
• strength
• support

---