instable

C2+ Topic:Cause, Change & Process

US /ɪnˈsteɪbəl/ UK /ɪnˈsteɪbəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
not stable; liable to change or collapse (archaic for unstable)

The scaffolding looked instable, swaying with every gust.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · not stable; liable to... unstable unsteady precarious volatile shaky

Opposites

stable steady firm

Word family

Related forms unstable stable instability

Etymology

From Latin instabilis ('unsteady'), from in- ('not') + stabilis ('steady'), from stare ('to stand'). An archaic variant of unstable.

in- Latin stare Latin *sta- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Cause, Change & Process Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style

External links

# instable

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪnˈsteɪbəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪnˈsteɪbəl/

## Meanings
1. not stable; liable to change or collapse (archaic for unstable)

## Examples
- The scaffolding looked instable, swaying with every gust.

## Synonyms
- unstable
- unsteady
- precarious
- volatile
- shaky

## Antonyms
- stable
- steady
- firm

## Related Forms
- unstable
- stable
- instability

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: in-
- Root: stare
- Root: *sta-

## Etymology
From Latin instabilis ('unsteady'), from in- ('not') + stabilis ('steady'), from stare ('to stand'). An archaic variant of unstable.

## AI Etymology
instable comes from Latin instabilis ('unsteady'), from in- ('not') + stabilis ('steady'), from stare ('to stand'). An archaic variant of unstable. Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the adjective sense is "not stable; liable to change or collapse (archaic for unstable)", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as unstable, stable, and instability. Its semantic neighborhood includes unstable, unsteady, precarious, and volatile, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin in-, Latin stare, and Proto-Indo-European *sta-.

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- Register & Style

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