: an abstract sculpture or construction similar in appearance to a mobile but made to be stationary
Examples of stabile in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Alex Harring, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2025
On one end is Alexander Calder’s stabile Nenuphar, made especially for the museum’s opening in 1968.
—Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Sep. 2023
The child is recovering and is in stabile condition, the Spanish Fork Police Department said.
—USA TODAY, 25 May 2023
Allen was drafted into a stabile situation in Buffalo.
—Brad Biggs, chicagotribune.com, 13 Sep. 2021
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
The pieces on view include mobiles, stabiles, paper works, oil painting and more.
—Teresa Nowakowski, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Nov. 2023
Calder is credited with having created the mobile as well as the stabile, a sculpture that contains moving parts but sits on the floor.
—Hailey Ross, idahostatesman, 16 June 2017
Unlike Calder’s mobiles that perform for you, his stabiles are viewer-activated.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, The Know, 14 May 2017
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
Now, Bank of America said there’s a shift away from this group toward banks, an area of the market that is often seen as more stabile but less exciting.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2025
On one end is Alexander Calder’s stabile Nenuphar, made especially for the museum’s opening in 1968.
—Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Sep. 2023
The child is recovering and is in stabile condition, the Spanish Fork Police Department said.
—USA TODAY, 25 May 2023
Allen was drafted into a stabile situation in Buffalo.
—Brad Biggs, chicagotribune.com, 13 Sep. 2021
Noun
The mobiles stir like birds or trees; the stabiles squat, grumpy and irregular, like walruses.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
The pieces on view include mobiles, stabiles, paper works, oil painting and more.
—Teresa Nowakowski, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Nov. 2023
Calder is credited with having created the mobile as well as the stabile, a sculpture that contains moving parts but sits on the floor.
—Hailey Ross, idahostatesman, 16 June 2017
Unlike Calder’s mobiles that perform for you, his stabiles are viewer-activated.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, The Know, 14 May 2017
Cite this Entry
“Stabile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stabile. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
1
2
: resistant to chemical change
native proteins are never stabile—Otto Rahn
Otto RahnLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
