instability

CEFRC1

/ɪnstəˈbɪlɪti/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The condition of being likely to change, fail, or fall.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A state that is not in equilibrium, or in which a small change has a large irreversible effect.

Examples

  • Gold prices are skyrocketing in the wake of financial instability.

  • The country is going through a period of economic instability.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1
Synonyms
2

Also pronounced

  • [ˌɪnstəˈbɪləɾi]

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meaning
  1. The quality of being unstable.

More examples

In context
  • The template is [Richard] Nixon’s “madman theory” of diplomatic engagement – shorthand for prompting your adversaries to doubt your sanity and mental instability to the point where they are intimidated into otherwise unlikely concessions.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The political blank caused many people to leave the country in fear.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle French instabilité, from Latin instabilitas. Morphologically in- + stability.