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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2
as in volatile
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly
financial investors don't like an unstable economy
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3
as in changing
not staying constant
unstable temperatures are not ideal storage conditions for wine
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as in instability
the quality or state of not being firmly fixed in position
if the tunnel had been properly inspected, the unstableness of the overhead concrete panels would have been discovered in time
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unstable
Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2025
In an era of such rapid and enormous change, the characteristics that defined an American, an American body, and, therefore, American citizenship itself were unstable and uncertain.
—Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
Lowers Risk of Chronic Disease Eggs are rich in antioxidants, which are plant compounds that reduce cell damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals in the body.
—Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 6 June 2025
The California Coastal Commission approved emergency construction last month after several sections of the rail, which lie below bluffs, were deemed unstable and at immediate risk of landslide and coastal erosion.
—Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unstable
Adjective
Violence is what grows in the vacuum left when schools lose funding, housing is unstable, mental health care is unavailable and jobs vanish.
—Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2025
In an era of such rapid and enormous change, the characteristics that defined an American, an American body, and, therefore, American citizenship itself were unstable and uncertain.
—Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
Lowers Risk of Chronic Disease Eggs are rich in antioxidants, which are plant compounds that reduce cell damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals in the body.
—Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 6 June 2025
The California Coastal Commission approved emergency construction last month after several sections of the rail, which lie below bluffs, were deemed unstable and at immediate risk of landslide and coastal erosion.
—Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unstable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unstable
Adjective
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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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But make no mistake: the situation remains extremely volatile.—
Robert Rapier,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
-
His aunt and two cousins traded stories about how volatile Williams was to even his own mother and the mother of his child.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
15 June 2025
Noun
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Yet Putin has organized Russia’s economy around the war effort and imposed draconian restrictions on civil society since 2022 — measures that will be difficult to change without risking internal instability, Western officials and observers suggest.—
Joel Gehrke,
The Washington Examiner,
13 June 2025
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Working-class wives work primarily for the money rather than career satisfaction; this results in more marital tension, which can fuel marital instability that spirals into yet more economic insecurity.—
Joan C. Williams
June 13,
Literary Hub,
13 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
-
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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Avoid wobbly or uneven fittings to keep everything centered.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 June 2025
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That means Juno’s radio transmissions will experience the Doppler effect, where the wavelength shifts slightly in response to Io’s uneven gravitational field.—
Robin Andrews,
Wired News,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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The implications were profound: With a lot of rocky material, tidal heating can make oceans of magma.—
Robin Andrews,
Wired News,
15 June 2025
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The first two miles are the hardest, composed of rocky stairs and switchbacks winding steeply up the side of the mountain.—
Eva Frederick,
Travel + Leisure,
14 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
-
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 30 Jun. 2025.
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