1
as in unsteady
not being in or able to maintain a state of balance
the minute we put the books down on the unstable desk, the whole stack went crashing to the floor
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in volatile
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly
financial investors don't like an unstable economy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in changing
not staying constant
unstable temperatures are not ideal storage conditions for wine
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unstable
Our tester never felt unstable thanks to the non-slip sole.
—
Alyssa Grabinski, People.com, 21 June 2025
For nearly a decade, Johannesburg had been ruled by an unstable coalition of bickering political parties.
—Louise Dewast, Christian Science Monitor, 20 June 2025
And the back-and-forth between the two countries continues to intensify, threatening an already unstable region.
—/ Cbs News, CBS News, 15 June 2025
Because the Sun’s magnetic field is especially unstable and dynamic near the solar poles, particularly the south pole, a good, hard look can pay dividends that will protect us here on Earth.
—David Szondy
june 15, New Atlas, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unstable
Alyssa Grabinski, People.com, 21 June 2025
For nearly a decade, Johannesburg had been ruled by an unstable coalition of bickering political parties.
—Louise Dewast, Christian Science Monitor, 20 June 2025
And the back-and-forth between the two countries continues to intensify, threatening an already unstable region.
—/ Cbs News, CBS News, 15 June 2025
Because the Sun’s magnetic field is especially unstable and dynamic near the solar poles, particularly the south pole, a good, hard look can pay dividends that will protect us here on Earth.
—David Szondy
june 15, New Atlas, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unstable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unstable
Adjective
-
She's come to terms with the unsteady income, but even with acceptance, Wall admits that times do get tough.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
19 June 2025
-
The early moments with Scott’s Anne Marie are unsteady.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Budget Pressure Is Driving Clarity The reflex in volatile markets is often to scale up teams or stack more tools.—
Jeremy Barnett,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
-
While the character brandishes a firearm and things eventually come to blows in physical tussles over the course of the volatile evening, Gallo's script never loses grip on the tender undercurrent of intimacy established back in Ponyboi's shower.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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At one point, officials even attempted to force TikTok’s parent, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations under threat of a ban—underscoring how precarious a creator’s dependence on one app can be.—
Vivian Toh,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
In some respects, the outset of this summer feels less precarious for the organization than the last one did.—
Chris Johnston,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Each response is a surprise, tapping into the psychological principle of intermittent reinforcement, famously demonstrated by psychologist B.F. Skinner, where unpredictable rewards significantly amplify behaviors, much like gambling addiction.—
Curt Steinhorst,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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The Big Apple is full of complex, unpredictable scenarios for the Waymo Driver software to handle: Jaywalking pedestrians, trucks parked in the street, complex intersections, heavy rains, and harsh winter weather, to name a few.—
Emily Forlini,
PC Magazine,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Additionally, although each member of the crew has their own particular skillset, the time spent on individual characters is uneven, and a smaller cast would have likely made things more effective.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
25 June 2025
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Moreover, the legal playing field itself can be quite uneven.—
Mark Berookim,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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This trip through a meteoric rise to fame and the rocky romances along the way takes a shape reminiscent of Taylor Swift’s peeking at consequential nights of her past on Midnights.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
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The glamorous guest profile hasn’t changed much since the hotel was founded on a rocky promontory of Tuscany’s Argentario coast by Michael Graham, a British Royal Air Force pilot, and Patsy Daszel, an American socialite, in the 1960s.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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All of a sudden, everyone’s reality is completely unbalanced — nobody knows what to make of it!—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
22 June 2025
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Coral reefs suffered, fish populations became unbalanced, and the ocean’s health declined.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unstable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unstable. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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