unbalance

American  

[uhn-bal-uhns] / ʌnˈbæl əns /

verb (used with object)

unbalanced, unbalancing

1. to throw or put out of balance.

2. to disorder or derange, as the mind.

---

noun

1. unbalanced condition.

unbalance British  

/ ʌnˈbæləns /

verb

1. to upset the equilibrium or balance of

2. to disturb the mental stability of (a person or his mind)

---

noun

1. imbalance or instability

Other Word Forms

• unbalanceable adjective

Etymology

Origin of unbalance

First recorded in 1580–90; un- ² + balance

Explanation

To unbalance is to make unsteady or uneven. A sudden gust of wind might unbalance you when you're on a sailboat — don't forget to wear a life jacket! Throw something off balance, and you unbalance it. Tickling someone who's in a one-legged yoga stance will unbalance them, and leaning too far to one side will unbalance a new bike rider. You can also call this state of being out of kilter or wobbly unbalance: "The unbalance of the tightrope walker made me glad there was a net underneath him!" And figuratively, unbalance can also mean "disturb or upset."

Example Sentences

“That’s something we need on this team, players that will unbalance defenses and open up gaps to be able to play through teams.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2024

Greek officials say they were faced with a dilemma on what to do with a vessel that had repeatedly declined offers of assistance, worried that even the slightest shift could unbalance the boat.

From Reuters • Jun. 15, 2023

Directorial impulses that seem designed to ratchet up the audience-pleasing quotients of some of his most famous plays, but that in one way or another unbalance them and diminish their inherent power.

From Washington Post • Jul. 22, 2022

In the days when bottles were handmade, glassblowers would push in the bottoms of bottles to make certain they would stand upright, without a nub of glass to unbalance them.

From New York Times • Dec. 30, 2021

Gingersnipes, still cackling, threw her head back with enough force to unbalance her squat body.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman