as in unstable
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Recent Examples of labile
The mob is aroused and labile; the lumpy cops have no control, over the situation or over themselves.
—
James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Oct. 2024
The mob is aroused and labile; the lumpy cops have no control, over the situation or over themselves.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Oct. 2024
Then the therapist could spend several minutes establishing a safe rapport with the patient while waiting for the memory to enter a labile state during the reconsolidation-updating window.
—Bj Casey, Scientific American, 14 May 2024
There was something kinetic, something labile in his air.
—Kevin Barry, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Amid this high level of acting skill, Lindsey stood out with her wonderfully convincing gestures and facial expressions, filling out the character of the more labile younger sister with captivating verisimilitude.
—Jeremy Yudkin, BostonGlobe.com, 17 July 2023
The painting, which ostensibly depicts Mary Magdalene in the reveries of devotion, is less spiritual than erotic: her interlaced fingers may be motionless, but her slight smile seems labile, indicating that Artemisia understood a woman’s sensuality from the inside out.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2020
In its particulars, that work prefigured much that was to come: public, politically labile, made with sparse means and leaving no object behind.
—New York Times, 4 Dec. 2021
Jesse’s behavior is labile, an adjective that sounds precise but turns out to be little more than a clinical term for emotions that are all over the place.
—Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 18 Nov. 2021
James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Oct. 2024
The mob is aroused and labile; the lumpy cops have no control, over the situation or over themselves.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Oct. 2024
Then the therapist could spend several minutes establishing a safe rapport with the patient while waiting for the memory to enter a labile state during the reconsolidation-updating window.
—Bj Casey, Scientific American, 14 May 2024
There was something kinetic, something labile in his air.
—Kevin Barry, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Amid this high level of acting skill, Lindsey stood out with her wonderfully convincing gestures and facial expressions, filling out the character of the more labile younger sister with captivating verisimilitude.
—Jeremy Yudkin, BostonGlobe.com, 17 July 2023
The painting, which ostensibly depicts Mary Magdalene in the reveries of devotion, is less spiritual than erotic: her interlaced fingers may be motionless, but her slight smile seems labile, indicating that Artemisia understood a woman’s sensuality from the inside out.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2020
In its particulars, that work prefigured much that was to come: public, politically labile, made with sparse means and leaving no object behind.
—New York Times, 4 Dec. 2021
Jesse’s behavior is labile, an adjective that sounds precise but turns out to be little more than a clinical term for emotions that are all over the place.
—Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 18 Nov. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for labile
Adjective
-
If parts would collapse in real life, the system identifies the first unstable brick and backtracks, removing it and all subsequent bricks before trying a different approach.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
9 May 2025
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The team calculated that a magnetar's giant flare could create the right conditions for r-process elements to form, producing highly unstable radioactive nuclei that decay into stable heavy elements such as gold.—
Victoria Corless,
Space.com,
7 May 2025
Adjective
-
The singers showcase the Lip Glaze’s versatile shades on their diverse skin tones.—
WWD Staff,
Footwear News,
9 May 2025
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While everything is versatile enough to warrant endless wear, each pick is also under $100.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
Much like a patient who fails to finish a course of antibiotics, inconstant policies may incur all the costs and none of the benefits.—
David Carlin,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
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Much like a patient who fails to finish a course of antibiotics, inconstant policies may incur all the costs and none of the benefits.—
David Carlin,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Labile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/labile. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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