instable

adjective

in·​sta·​ble (ˌ)in-ˈstā-bəl How to pronounce instable (audio)

Examples of instable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Douglass Morgan, the Raiders president and the first Black woman to hold the title for an N.F.L. team, also inherited an instable organization. Emmanuel Morgan, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023 Throughout the morning, Twitter users continue to share concerns on the cause of a season of instable flying. Dallas News, 11 Jan. 2023 The instable weather and the delay in the fourth quarter brought back memories of 2019 when Washington and California played a night game that was delayed by lightning storms in the Seattle area. Tim Booth, ajc, 5 Nov. 2022 Photo: agencja gazeta/Reuters Some commentators compared the murder to the killing of Jo Cox, a British liberal legislator who was shot and stabbed to death by a mentally instable man inspired by far-right politics. Bojan Pancevski, WSJ, 14 Jan. 2019 With today's instable geopolitical times, a theatrical reboot offers fresh fodder for the show to put a mirror up to society. Ben Panko, Smithsonian, 19 July 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'instable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin instabilis, from in- + stabilis stable

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of instable was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near instable

Cite this Entry

“Instable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instable. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

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