Category: GeneralPart of speech: nounDifficulty: Intermediate

stability

/stability/Roman
US/stəˈbɪɫɪti/
UK/stəbˈɪlɪti/

English meaning: Stability

Definition

The condition of being stable or in equilibrium, and thus resistant to change.

Example

“Years of conflict had destroyed any hope of political stability in the region.”

Another example: “The new medication gave her years of emotional stability.”

Usage — When, Where & How

A formal-to-neutral noun for the quality of being steady, secure, and resistant to change. Used of structures, economies, governments, relationships, and chemical compounds. 'Political/financial/emotional stability' are common pairings. Antonym 'instability' is equally common.

Etymology & Origin

English — Origin & History

From Latin 'stabilitas', from 'stabilis' (steady, firm), from 'stare' (to stand).

Synonyms

  • steadiness
  • constancy
  • firmness
  • equilibrium

Antonyms / Opposites

  • instability
  • volatility
  • turbulence
  • upheaval

Related Words

Common Collocations

  • financial stability
  • political stability
  • emotional stability
  • maintain stability
  • price stability
  • ensure stability

Word Forms

stable (adj); stability (n); stabilize (v); stabilization (n)

Word Tools

4 syllables

Literary Heritage

“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”

/To thine own self be true/

“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”

William Shakespeare · Playwright & Poet · 1564–1616

Hamlet, Act II

Hamlet, II.i — Polonius's parting words to Laertes; the most quoted line in Shakespeare

“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”

/I'm nobody! Who are you?/

“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”

Emily Dickinson · Poet · 1830–1886

Poems

Poem 288 — Dickinson's subversive celebration of solitude over social recognition

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Language information

Language
English
English
Script
Latin
Family
Indo-European
Speakers
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