unstable

CEFRB1

/ʌnˈsteɪ.bəl/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Likely to change, fail, or fall suddenly.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Fluctuating; not constant.

Examples

  • Fortune is unstable, while our will is free.

  • Future prospects for ASEAN seem unstable, no matter how you look at it.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings
  1. Having a strong tendency to change.

  2. Not stable.

  3. Readily decomposable.

More examples

In context
  • The structure is too unstable to stand safely.

  • politically unstable

  • unstable foundation

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The ladder was blank because one of its legs was broken, so I did not climb it.

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

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English unstable; equivalent to un- (not) + stable.