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
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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
Vazquez, who wants Leal to be moved to a different hospital, told KXAS her son was too unstable to be transferred.
—
Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 May 2025
This misinformation creates a fundamental problem: Organizations implementing protection strategies based on flawed assumptions are effectively building their defenses on unstable ground.
—Jim McGann, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
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, 9 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for unstable
Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 May 2025
This misinformation creates a fundamental problem: Organizations implementing protection strategies based on flawed assumptions are effectively building their defenses on unstable ground.
—Jim McGann, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
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, 9 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for unstable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unstable
Adjective
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Not only that, but he was being fed an unsteady diet of cockroaches.—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
4 May 2025
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His unsteady performance has left markets lurching from one crisis to another, and his contempt for tradition continues to rattle both Washington institutionalists and Wall Street investors.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Other big miners, including archrivals BHP, Anglo American and Glencore, have steered clear of lithium, am important metal in batteries, but one which is also abundantly available puts suffers from extremely volatile pricing.—
Tim Treadgold,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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The couple had a volatile relationship that often turned violent, according to authorities.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Silkwood In the early 1980s, Cher was in a precarious place in her career.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
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Honeybee colonies in the U.S. have occupied a precarious position for nearly two decades.—
Joanna Thompson,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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The Outlaw Music Festival touched down Thursday night on the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, California, and Bob Dylan once again delivered a wildly unpredictable set that stunned even his most hardcore fans.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
16 May 2025
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Markets are unpredictable, and a company's success doesn't ensure future returns.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Bread crumbs • Props to the hair, makeup, and costuming departments for differentiating Kiki’s Simone from pre-Michaela Simone, who showed up to the island with a scraggly ponytail, a gray button-down, uneven skin, and scrawled tattoos.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
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Read Next Boise & Garden City Boise River Greenbelt biker dies from head injuries after crashing on uneven pathway September 6, 2024 4:00 AM This story was originally published September 24, 2024 at 4:00 AM.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Shot in Galicia, a landscape of rocky coasts and salty-blue air, this loosely biographical third feature from Catalan filmmaker Carla Simón, part of the Cannes competition slate, has a wistful, earthy glow.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
23 May 2025
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The rocky negotiations on Capitol Hill over tax and federal budget changes have become a fresh worry for investors after tariff headlines subsided.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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There’s a really unbalanced schedule as well, with some playing just two matches while Columbus plays six.—
Todd Boss,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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The sheer ease of Jacobs-Jenkins’s writing drives the headlong rush of the first act, but in the unbalanced second half his technique wavers.—
Helen Shaw,
The New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unstable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unstable. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
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