Meaning & use
labile
Last updated
Liable to change; easily altered, especially emotionally unstable or chemically unstable.
See it in a sentence
The medication is labile and must be stored at a stable, cool temperature.
After the surgery, his mood remained labile, swinging quickly between calm and agitation.
A note on using this word
Common in both chemistry (an unstable compound) and psychology or medicine ('emotionally labile'), always implying instability rather than simple flexibility.
Words with a similar meaning
unstablevolatile
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
stablefixed
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “labile”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.