How to Use unstable in a Sentence

unstable

adjective
Definition of unstablenext
Synonyms for unstablenext
  • The three go to war over the Lover, but their identities prove unstable.
    — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023
  • Left to flow, the unearthed springs turn dirt roads into unstable slicks of mud.
    — WIRED, 23 Dec. 2023
  • Heat forces air to rise and makes the atmosphere unstable.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN, 14 Oct. 2023
  • Its shape — a puffy clump of hot gas somewhere between 20% and 40% of the mass of our sun — is also unstable.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN, 16 Nov. 2022
  • So, the storms are more energized, the wind shears more dramatic, and the jet streams more unstable.
    — Carolyn Barber, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2023
  • But the facts on the ground suggest that the region cannot return to its unstable prewar status quo.
    — Aaron David Miller, Foreign Affairs, 22 Dec. 2023
  • This results in a top-heavy design that may feel a little unstable at times.
    — Quincy Bulin, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Mar. 2023
  • Over time, this can cause your joint to become unstable, which often leads to injury.
    — Tony Gentilcore, Men's Health, 30 Nov. 2022
  • On that day, Kuroda touched one of those blocks to test whether the monetary tower the BOJ built might become unstable.
    — William Pesek, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2023
  • Sand is extremely fine, and a hole in the beach is unstable and will eventually fill in.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024
  • Get ready for unstable weather this week in Greater Cincinnati.
    — Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 26 Feb. 2024
  • We are taken by unstable dinghy to a grand wooden boat, where the captain gives us permission to come aboard.
    — Andrew Sean Greer, Travel + Leisure, 12 Aug. 2023
  • Cons If the power cord isn’t aligned properly, the bucket is unstable.
    — Camryn Rabideau, Peoplemag, 29 Sep. 2023
  • Thinking any stranger could be an assassin is a pretty unstable way to spend a month.
    — Vulture, 17 Jan. 2024
  • The officer shown in the video then walks toward Morrison and the camera goes unstable.
    — Danny Freeman, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024
  • And the storm is unstable enough to generate thunder and lightning throughout the county.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Jan. 2023
  • The advantage over Philadelphia is more unstable, since the teams are tied in the loss column.
    — Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Mar. 2023
  • The vinyl chloride contents of five rail cars were unstable and the cars were at risk of exploding, which could have launched deadly shrapnel into the air.
    — Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2023
  • Instead, Haiti is the hemisphere’s most unstable country and its poorest.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
  • Experts say those forces could have made the railroad bridge more unstable and contributed to its collapse.
    — Matthew Brown, BostonGlobe.com, 21 July 2023
  • Power has been restored in some areas but is still unstable.
    — Christine Fernando, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2022
  • Flu is a tricky, unstable virus that has eluded lasting containment since the first vaccine against it was released in 1945.
    — Maryn McKenna, WIRED, 10 Nov. 2023
  • Tomas is not the type to paper over differences in order to sustain an unstable unity.
    — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2023
  • Then, a rogue black hole flew into the mix, and the whole system became unstable, throwing a black hole out into the universe at impressive speed.
    — Jackie Appel, Popular Mechanics, 9 Apr. 2023
  • Brooks — who Carver said in an affidavit was unstable on her feet, unable to keep her balance and slurring her words — asked for a ride home.
    — CBS News, 25 Jan. 2023
  • Melting glaciers leave massive amounts of water in lakes held in place by unstable natural dams formed of rubble heaped up when the glaciers were healthy and pushing down a slope.
    — David L. Haberman, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2023
  • There is nonetheless a small chance that the object is an unstable galaxy that formed two clusters of stars at different times.
    — Syris Valentine, Scientific American, 11 July 2023
  • People could be seen on state TV clustering in the streets of historic Marrakech, afraid to go back inside buildings that might still be unstable.
    — Sam Metz and Mosa'ab Eishamy, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2023
  • And the rival armies still confronted each other along perilous, unstable cease-fire lines.
    — Thomas W. Lippman, Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2023
  • Another sign is if there is a mound of soil where there wasn’t one before; that may be roots becoming unstable and tipping, McBride said.
    — Claire Hao, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unstable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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