Meaning & use
destabilize
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Meaning
verbtransitive
To make a system, government, or situation less stable or secure.
Grammar: Takes an object: destabilize the government.
Patterns
- destabilize something
- destabilize a government/regime
- destabilize the economy
The rebels tried to destabilize the government.
Rumors can destabilize financial markets.
Climate change could destabilize entire regions.
Word forms
| third person singular | destabilizes |
|---|---|
| past tense | destabilized |
| past participle | destabilized |
| present participle | destabilizing |
Common combinations
- destabilize a region
- The conflict has destabilized the entire region.
- destabilize the economy
- High inflation could destabilize the economy.
- politically destabilizing
- The scandal was politically destabilizing for the president.
Synonyms and how they differ
- undermine
- Undermine means to weaken gradually, often secretly, while destabilize means to make something unsteady or likely to collapse.
- weaken
- Weaken is a general word for making something less strong; destabilize specifically suggests loss of control or order.
Opposites
Word family
- destabilization noun
- The process of making something less stable.
- stabilize verb
- To make something stable or steady.
Commonly confused: destabilize or destabilise?
destabilize vs destabilise
This is the British spelling; American English uses destabilize with -ize.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'destabilize' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The verb needs a subject that causes the action and a past tense form if the action is finished: 'The new policy destabilized the economy.' Option 0 is wrong because 'helped' suggests a positive effect, which contradicts 'destabilize'. Option 2 reverses the subject and object. Option 3 uses the base form instead of the past tense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “destabilize”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.