English > unstable: 6 senses > adjective 1| Meaning | lacking stability or fixity / fixity or firmness. |
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| Examples | - "unstable political conditions"
- "the tower proved to be unstable in the high wind"
- "an unstable world economy"
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| Narrower | coseismic, coseismal | Where earthquake waves arrive simultaneously |
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| crank, cranky, tender, tippy | (used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail |
| explosive, volatile | liable to lead to sudden change or violence |
| rickety, shaky, wobbly, wonky | Inclined to shake as from weakness or defect |
| rocky | liable to rock |
| seismic, seismal | subject to or caused by an earthquake or earth vibration |
| tipsy | unstable and prone to tip as if intoxicated |
| top-heavy | unstable by being overloaded at the top |
| tottering | (of structures or institutions) having lost stability |
| volcanic | explosively unstable |
| See also | impermanent, temporary | not permanent |
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| inconstant | likely to change frequently often without apparent or cogent reason |
| unsteady | subject to change or variation |
| Opposite | stable | resistant to change of position or condition |
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| Spanish | inestable |
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| Catalan | inestable |
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| Nouns | unstableness | the quality or attribute of being unstable and irresolute |
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