unstable.
Not stable.
Meaning & usage
Not stable.
unstable foundation
The structure is too unstable to stand safely.
Having a strong tendency to change.
Fluctuating; not constant.
politically unstable
The political situation remains unstable.
Fickle.
Unpredictable.
Readily decomposable.
chemically unstable
Radioactive, especially with a short half-life.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English unstable; equivalent to un- (not) + stable.
To release (an animal) from a stable.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂éntsder. Proto-Germanic *anda- Proto-West Germanic *anda- Old English and- Old English on- Middle English on- English un- English stable English unstable From un- (reversive prefix) + stable.
Try it on your idea.
unstable has 8 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.
These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.
Explore the name generatorA word with a source.
Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.