as in unsteadiness
the quality or state of not being firmly fixed in position
the instability of the bridge became tragically apparent when it suddenly collapsed
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Recent Examples of instability
The National Weather Service office in Fort Worth says the region sits within a broader zone where severe storms are most likely to develop, particularly northeast of Dallas where instability is highest.
—
Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
The deal comes as New Delhi moves to diversify export markets to offset the impact of steep tariffs imposed by the United States and instability in shipping and energy routes due to the Iran war.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Patients in psychiatric and psychological care — especially those with serious mental illness, trauma histories, addiction, or significant psychosocial instability — are not interchangeable accounts.
—Sarah Cady, STAT, 27 Apr. 2026
However, the path to the market has been blocked by technical instability on the battery’s negative side.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instability
Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
The deal comes as New Delhi moves to diversify export markets to offset the impact of steep tariffs imposed by the United States and instability in shipping and energy routes due to the Iran war.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Patients in psychiatric and psychological care — especially those with serious mental illness, trauma histories, addiction, or significant psychosocial instability — are not interchangeable accounts.
—Sarah Cady, STAT, 27 Apr. 2026
However, the path to the market has been blocked by technical instability on the battery’s negative side.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instability
Noun
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Those dates were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later canceled following Dion's 2022 diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that includes rigidity and stiffness of certain areas of the body, causing unsteadiness, slower movements and difficulties walking.—
Shafiq Najib,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Can’t slam anyone for that, and the unsteadiness was real and the moment was more poignant because of it.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The premise brings together urban precariousness, conspiracy and genre mechanics.—
Emiliano de Pablos,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
-
But the Damascene realization regarding the precariousness of American manufacturing that followed spurred a flurry of activity in Washington—as well as among nations that balked at an authoritarian superpower effectively having a permanent kill switch over their industrial output.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The risk of insecurity spreading across West Africa’s porous borders, even affecting stable democracies such as Senegal and Ghana, is real.—
Ulf Laessing,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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The moon's clash with Chiron today can stir up insecurities about fitting in.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instability. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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