|inztə| ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷, |in(t)stə- noun
Etymology: Middle English instabilitee, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French instabilité, from Latin instabilitas, from instabilis + -itas -ity
: the quality or state of being unstable: as
a. : lack of physical firmness : insecurity
the instability of a building
b. : lack of determination or uniformity
economic instability
: inconstancy
instability of temper
increasing instability of cherished institutions
also : tendency to react violently or explosively
emotional instability
the extreme instability of certain chemicals
c. : an unstable state of the atmosphere that results when the vertical distribution of temperature or moisture is such that an air particle when set in motion will tend to move at increasing speed either upward or downward from its previous position