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