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# unstable

«unstable» in Mova's school dictionary: **Likely to fall over, move or break; not steady** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

adjective (unstable; more unstable, most unstable)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Likely to fall over, move or break; not steady. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unstable/#m1)

2) Likely to change suddenly: unstable weather or prices. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unstable/#m2)

3) (science) Likely to change or break down into something else: an unstable chemical. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unstable/#m3)

4) (of a person's mood) Changing quickly and hard to predict. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unstable/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In science and design lessons: a tall thin tower is unstable; a wide base makes it stable. In safety: unstable cliffs, ice or ladders are dangerous. In news: unstable prices or governments. Phrases: «unstable ground», «emotionally unstable».

### examples

- The tower of blocks was unstable and fell over. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unstable/#x1)
- Keep away from the unstable cliff edge. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unstable/#x2)
- The ice on the pond is unstable, so don't walk on it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unstable/#x3)
- Some chemicals are unstable and can explode. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unstable/#x4)
- Food prices have been unstable this year. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unstable/#x5)
- A three-legged stool with one short leg is unstable. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unstable/#x6)

### note

Takes «an». Opposite: stable, steady. Science fact: a lower centre of gravity and a wider base make things more stable. Calling a person «unstable» is a serious and often unkind label.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «unstable» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unstable/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.