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
The following quarter, during an earnings call, Target reported significant losses related to both the national boycott led by Black shoppers as well as instability related to tariffs being imposed by the Trump administration.
—
Curtis Bunn, NBC news, 24 June 2025
The risks of metastasizing instability in Europe and the Middle East, threats to Israel and close allies in NATO, and domestic political pressures diverted attention from long-term strategic adjustments to immediate crisis management.
—Rebecca Lissner, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Murphy later found the administration violated his order by flying eight criminal migrants to South Sudan, a country the State Department has warned against traveling to due to conflict and instability.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 23 June 2025
Many have had childhoods marked by poverty, and family instability, and often abuse.
—Sonia Ossorio, New York Daily News, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for instability
Curtis Bunn, NBC news, 24 June 2025
The risks of metastasizing instability in Europe and the Middle East, threats to Israel and close allies in NATO, and domestic political pressures diverted attention from long-term strategic adjustments to immediate crisis management.
—Rebecca Lissner, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Murphy later found the administration violated his order by flying eight criminal migrants to South Sudan, a country the State Department has warned against traveling to due to conflict and instability.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 23 June 2025
Many have had childhoods marked by poverty, and family instability, and often abuse.
—Sonia Ossorio, New York Daily News, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for instability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instability
Noun
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Housing costs, especially for renters, have pushed Florida families into financial precariousness more than any other household expense, said United Way of Florida CEO Melissa Nelson.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2025
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Given the federal government’s financial precariousness at the end of the war, this effort failed.—
Jamie Rowen,
The Conversation,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Much of the public debate has focused on structural factors like childcare costs, work-life balance and economic insecurity.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
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As high school and college graduates across the country celebrate the completion of a major milestone, they — and their nervous parents — are looking ahead to a future marked by political uncertainty and economic insecurity.—
Jim Ruland,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instability. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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