Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Tending strongly to change.
- adjective Not constant; fluctuating.
- adjective Wavering or fickle.
- adjective Showing or marked by erratic or volatile emotions or behavior.
- adjective Not firmly placed; unsteady.
- adjective Decomposing readily.
- adjective Highly or violently reactive.
- adjective Decaying with relatively short lifetime. Used of subatomic particles.
- adjective Radioactive.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To make no longer a stable or filthy abode.
- Not stable; not fixed.
- Not steady; inconstant; irresolute; wavering.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Not stable; not firm, fixed, or constant; subject to change or overthrow.
- adjective See Stable equilibrium, under
Stable .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective having a
strong tendency tochange - adjective
fluctuating ; notconstant - adjective
fickle - adjective
unpredictable - adjective chemistry Readily
decompasable - adjective physics
Radioactive , especially with a shorthalf-life
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective subject to change; variable
- adjective disposed to psychological variability
- adjective highly or violently reactive
- adjective lacking stability or fixity or firmness
- adjective affording no ease or reassurance
- adjective suffering from severe mental illness
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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On the other hand, the term unstable does not necessarily mean that there are problems - rather, that enhancements or changes have been made to the software that have not undergone rigorous testing and that more changes are expected to be imminent.
xml's Blinklist.com 2008
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Police also seized what they called unstable explosives stored in a heavily populated area of Copenhagen.
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Police also seized what they called unstable explosives stored in a heavily populated area of Copenhagen.
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But Pakistan will remain unstable and angry so long as the Kashmir conflict continues.
Eric Margolis: Kashmir Could Start a Nuclear War Eric Margolis 2010
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Nevertheless, she adds, We also found that, particularly with trans people, they are very often unemployed or in unstable or unsuitable jobs because they choose to live in their gender roles.
Are careers still stunted by discrimination when it comes to sexuality? 2009
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Keeping the rest of the world unstable is the name of the game.
Somalia Ruined: Intervention Fails Again « Antiwar.com Blog 2009
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And now that the fish farms are well established and oceanic temperatures and acidity levels are likely to remain unstable, it will be hard or impossible to set up well controlled experiments to find out. trackback
hughstimson.org » Blog Archive » We’ve Chosen Not to Know What is Causing Salmon Decline 2009
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The net result is more under - or ungoverned spaces in unstable parts of the world.
David Isenberg: Changing The Rules With PMC David Isenberg 2010
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And sadly, it will continue to be true in unstable regions for years to come.
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“How unstable is he?” the Doctor asked grimly as they left the TARDIS at a jog.
The Boundaries of Temptation (3/5) amberfocus 2009
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