as in unsteadiness
the quality or state of not being firmly fixed in position
the instability of the bridge became tragically apparent when it suddenly collapsed
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Recent Examples of instability
They were in fact treated like psychic seismographs, picking up disturbances and instability, prophecies of good fortune or doom.
—
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2025
In mid-April, Crockett questioned the president’s mental fitness during economic instability that came as a result of his aggressive tariff agenda.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025
Right now that's being shaped by wars, civil instability and polarization, and that includes the U.S.
—Nia Dumas, NPR, 22 Apr. 2025
For younger generations, particularly those born in the digital era, grounding can be difficult, which increases anxiety and a sense of instability.
—Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for instability
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2025
In mid-April, Crockett questioned the president’s mental fitness during economic instability that came as a result of his aggressive tariff agenda.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025
Right now that's being shaped by wars, civil instability and polarization, and that includes the U.S.
—Nia Dumas, NPR, 22 Apr. 2025
For younger generations, particularly those born in the digital era, grounding can be difficult, which increases anxiety and a sense of instability.
—Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for instability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instability
Noun
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Recurrent themes running through the selection are motherhood, love and precariousness, and often precariousness linked to motherhood, such as in Adam’s Interest and the other Belgian film Kika.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
14 Apr. 2025
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Because this clever, funny play is both an attentive ode to Greenspan’s extraordinary artistry as a playwright-performer and an unsparing meditation on the psychic and financial precariousness of playwriting as a creative life.—
Laura Collins-Hughes,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The survey found that among that age group, financial insecurity most affected women, Hispanics and those without college degrees.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2025
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This incident heightened insecurity among aviation professionals.—
Isadora Wandermurem,
Time,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instability. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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