UNSTABLE: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for UNSTABLE?

Need another word that means the same as “unstable”? Find 54 synonyms and 30 related words for “unstable” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Unstable” are: precarious, unsound, fluid, unsteady, rocky, wobbly, wobbling, rickety, shaky, tottery, tottering, doddery, unsafe, unbalanced, unreliable, insecure, not secure, unfastened, unsecured, movable, changeable, volatile, variable, unsettled, fluctuating, inconstant, inconsistent, irregular, fitful, unpredictable, fickle, capricious, mercurial, erratic, uncertain, wavering, of unsound mind, deranged, demented, crazed, distracted, troubled, disturbed, unhinged, insane, mad, mad as a hatter, mad as a march hare, lunatic, out of one's head, out of one's mind, not in one's right mind, neurotic, psychotic

Unstable as an Adjective

Definitions of "Unstable" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “unstable” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Disposed to psychological variability.
• Likely to change or fail; not firmly established.
• Suffering from severe mental illness.
• Prone to psychiatric problems or sudden changes of mood.
• Affording no ease or reassurance.
• Likely to give way; not stable.
• Lacking stability or fixity or firmness.
• Subject to change; variable.
• Highly or violently reactive.

Synonyms of "Unstable" as an adjective (54 Words)

capricious	Determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason. A capricious and often brutal administration.
changeable	Capable of or tending to change in form or quality or nature. The weather will be changeable with rain at times.
crazed	(of porcelain) characterized by a network of fine cracks in the glaze. Crazed china should not be used for serving food as the tiny cracks can harbour bacteria.
demented	Suffering from dementia. She was demented with worry.
deranged	Driven insane. A deranged gunman.
distracted	Unable to concentrate because one is preoccupied by something worrying or unpleasant. Charlotte seemed too distracted to give him much attention.
disturbed	Having had the normal pattern or functioning disrupted. Disturbed sleep.
doddery	Slow and unsteady in movement because of weakness in old age. He s a bit doddery on his legs and doesn t get about much.
erratic	Not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable. Erratic winds are the bane of a sailor.
fickle	Changing frequently, especially as regards one’s loyalties or affections. Fickle weather.
fitful	Active or occurring spasmodically or intermittently; not regular or steady. Business was fitful.
fluctuating	Having unpredictable ups and downs. A fluctuating level of demand.
fluid	Characteristic of a fluid capable of flowing and easily changing shape. The fluid political situation of the 1930s.
inconsistent	Acting at variance with one’s own principles or former behaviour. Parents can become inconsistent and lacking in control over their children.
inconstant	Likely to change frequently often without apparent or cogent reason; variable- Shakespeare. The most inconstant man in the world.
insane	In a state of mind which prevents normal perception, behaviour, or social interaction; seriously mentally ill. His eyes were glowing with insane fury.
insecure	Not firm or fixed; liable to give way or break. A rather gauche insecure young man.
irregular	Not occurring at expected times. Their involvement in irregular financial dealings.
lunatic	Insane and believed to be affected by the phases of the moon. He would be asked to acquiesce in some lunatic scheme.
mad	Affected with madness or insanity. A completely mad scheme to build a bridge between two mountains.
mad as a hatter	Roused to anger- Mark Twain.
mad as a march hare	Affected with madness or insanity.
mercurial	Relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury. Mercurial twists of temperament.
movable	(of property) of the nature of a chattel, as distinct from land or buildings. A perpetual calendar for all religious feasts both fixed and movable.
neurotic	Having, caused by, or relating to neurosis. He seemed a neurotic self obsessed character.
not in one's right mind	Currently fashionable.
not secure	Not likely to fail or give way.
of unsound mind	Not sound financially.
out of one's head	Outside or external.
out of one's mind	Knocked unconscious by a heavy blow.
precarious	Not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse. A precarious truce.
psychotic	Characteristic of or suffering from psychosis. A psychotic disturbance.
rickety	Affected with, suffering from, or characteristic of rickets. Rickety limbs and joints.
rocky	Tending to rock or shake; unsteady. Older types of sash windows are a bit rocky.
shaky	Not safe or reliable; liable to fail or falter. She managed a shaky laugh.
tottering	(of structures or institutions) having lost stability; failing or on the point of collapse. His tottering military regime.
tottery	Unsteady in gait as from infirmity or old age. A tottery old man.
troubled	Showing distress or anxiety. His troubled face.
unbalanced	Affected with madness or insanity. She considered him to be mentally unbalanced and dangerous.
uncertain	Not certain to occur; not inevitable. Everything is uncertain about the army.
unfastened	Affording unobstructed entrance and exit; not shut or closed. The car door was unfastened.
unhinged	Affected with madness or insanity. The violent acts of unhinged minds.
unpredictable	Not occurring at a regular rate or fixed intervals. An unpredictable or indeterminable future.
unreliable	Lacking a sense of responsibility. Unreliable information.
unsafe	Lacking in security or safety. Because the confession was unreliable the verdict was unsafe and unsatisfactory.
unsecured	Of a creditor having made an unsecured loan. An unsecured note.
unsettled	(of an area) having no settlers or inhabitants. They charge interest on debts that remain unsettled after 30 days.
unsound	Physically unsound or diseased. An unsound foundation.
unsteady	Not firmly or solidly positioned. An unsteady voice.
variable	Liable to or capable of change. Variable filters in front of the mercury xenon lights.
volatile	Evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures. Volatile oils.
wavering	Moving in a quivering way; flickering. She gave a wavering smile.
wobbling	Fluctuating unsteadily. A low pitched wobbling sound.
wobbly	(of a line or handwriting) not straight or regular. The ladder felt a little wobbly.

Usage Examples of "Unstable" as an adjective

• Unstable political conditions.
• Sensitive and highly unstable compounds.
• Everything was unstable following the coup.
• He was mentally unstable.
• The unstable cliff tops.
• The tower proved to be unstable in the high wind.
• His rather unstable religious convictions.
• An unstable government.
• An unstable world economy.

Associations of "Unstable" (30 Words)

bacchanalian	Used of riotously drunken merrymaking. A bacchanalian orgy.
capricious	Changeable. Authoritarian rulers are frequently capricious.
changeable	Liable to unpredictable variation. Changeable taffeta.
destabilize	Make unstable. The economy destabilized rapidly.
disturbing	Causing anxiety; worrying. A disturbing amount of crime.
erratic	Not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable. An erratic comet.
fickle	Marked by erratic changeableness in affections or attachments. Fickle weather.
inconstant	Likely to change frequently often without apparent or cogent reason; variable- Shakespeare. An inconstant lover.
insecure	Lacking in security or safety. A rather gauche insecure young man.
intoxicated	Drunk or under the influence of drugs. Officials are reporting an increase in the number of intoxicated students requiring medical attention.
labile	Liable to change. Mood seemed generally appropriate but the patient was often labile.
mercurial	Subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind. For twenty years organic mercurials were the most potent diuretics in clinical use.
plastered	Made smooth by applying a sticky or glossy substance. Coarsely plastered brickwork.
precarious	Fraught with danger. A precarious truce.
quicksilver	Liable to sudden unpredictable change. A quicksilver character cool and willful at one moment utterly fragile the next.
reactive	Acting in response to a situation rather than creating or controlling it. A reactive load.
shaky	Vibrating slightly and irregularly; as e.g. with fear or cold or like the leaves of an aspen in a breeze. A wobbly chair with shaky legs.
shivering	The action of shaking slightly and uncontrollably as a result of being cold, frightened, or excited. Gradually his shivering slowed.
teeter	A plaything consisting of a board balanced on a fulcrum; the board is ridden up and down by children at either end. She teetered between tears and anger.
tipsy	Slightly intoxicated. Tipsy revellers.
uncertain	Lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance. Moving with uncertain or unsure steps.
unpredictable	Not able to be predicted; changeable. The unpredictable weather of the Scottish islands.
unrest	A state of agitation or turbulent change or development. Years of industrial unrest.
unsafe	Not safe; dangerous. Drinking water in some areas may be unsafe.
unsettled	Worried and uneasy. One question remains unsettled.
unsound	Physically unsound or diseased. The tower is structurally unsound.
unsteady	Not firmly or solidly positioned. An unsteady voice.
variable	The region of light variable winds to the north of the north east trade winds or in the southern hemisphere between the south east trade winds and the westerlies. Rainfall in the tropics is notoriously variable.
volatile	A volatile substance. A passionate volatile young man.