Meaning & use
instability
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Meanings
noununcountable
A lack of steadiness or balance that makes something likely to wobble or fall.
Grammar: Uncountable when used for structures: the instability of the slope.
Patterns
- instability of something
Engineers noticed the instability of the old bridge.
The tower's instability worried the neighbors.
Wet soil adds to the slope's instability.
nouncountable or uncountable
A situation in which things are uncertain and likely to change suddenly, especially in politics, the economy or emotions.
Grammar: Usually uncountable: political instability.
Patterns
- instability in something
Political instability scared off investors.
Economic instability pushed prices up.
Years of emotional instability affected his work.
Word forms
| plural | instabilities |
|---|
Common combinations
- political instability
- Political instability slowed growth.
- financial instability
- Financial instability hit the region.
- emotional instability
- The report mentioned her emotional instability.
- cause instability
- Sudden changes cause instability.
- growing instability
- Growing instability led to protests.
- structural instability
- Inspectors found structural instability in the roof.
Synonyms and how they differ
- volatility
- Volatility suggests rapid, unpredictable swings, mainly in markets, while instability suggests a weak foundation.
- unsteadiness
- Unsteadiness is plainer and fits shaking bodies or hands more than countries.
- turmoil
- Turmoil means active confusion and disorder, rather than the potential to collapse.
- insecurity
- Insecurity is about a lack of safety or confidence, a different sense from structural weakness.
Opposites
Word family
- unstable adjective
- likely to change or collapse
- stable adjective
- steady and firm
- stability noun
- the state of being steady
- destabilize verb
- to make something unstable
Commonly confused: instability or instability?
instability vs instability
Do not confuse with inability, which means being unable to do something.
Practice
Frequent changes of government caused political ____ in the country.
Choose one answer.
Constant government changes create instability. Stability is the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “instability”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.