unstable
Likely to topple
Unstable describes something that lacks stability—liable to change, move, or fail.
An unstable structure might collapse; an unstable chemical compound might decompose or react unpredictably.
Applied to people, unstable suggests emotional volatility or erratic behavior: He's been unstable since the breakup.
An unstable situation is precarious, likely to shift suddenly: The ceasefire remains unstable.
Dangerously insecure
- teeteringUnstably balanced, nearly falling
- wobblyTending to teeter
- shakyTrembling or unstable
- unsteadyLacking balance or stability
rickety · tottering · insecure · unsound · weak · flimsy · crumbling · delicate
Lacking regularity or consistency
- capriciousSubject to sudden changes
- fickleErratically disloyal in affection
- inconsistentLacking steady uniformity
- unpredictableCannot be anticipated
mercurial · temperamental · variable · changeable · volatile · fluctuating · irregular · uneven
Likely to cause injury
- perilousFraught with danger
- riskyInvolving possible harm
- treacherousDisloyal and dangerous
- volatileLiable to sudden change
explosive · combustible · reactive · flammable · nitroglycerin · dynamite · radioactive · critical
Liable to sudden change
- turbulentViolently agitated or disturbed
- fragileEasily broken or damaged
- restiveStubbornly resistant to control
- unsettledNot yet resolved
chaotic · anarchic · lawless · fractured · divided · polarized · contested · transitional
Having two opposite poles
- manicAbnormally elevated, agitated
- psychoticSuffering reality-detachment
- delusionalHolding false beliefs firmly
- dissociativeCharacterized by mental detachment
anxious · dysregulated · unbalanced · disturbed · decompensating · fragile · vulnerable · crisis
precarious
Dangerously insecure
unsteady · rickety · tottering · insecure · unsound · weak · flimsy · crumbling · delicate · tenuous
erratic
Lacking regularity or consistency
- capriciousSubject to sudden changes
- fickleErratically disloyal in affection
- inconsistentLacking steady uniformity
unpredictable · mercurial · temperamental · variable · changeable · volatile · fluctuating · irregular · uneven · sporadic
hazardous
Likely to cause injury
- perilousFraught with danger
- riskyInvolving possible harm
- treacherousDisloyal and dangerous
volatile · explosive · combustible · reactive · flammable · nitroglycerin · dynamite · radioactive · critical · touch-and-go
volatile
Liable to sudden change
- turbulentViolently agitated or disturbed
- fragileEasily broken or damaged
- restiveStubbornly resistant to control
unsettled · chaotic · anarchic · lawless · fractured · divided · polarized · contested · transitional · failing
bipolar
Having two opposite poles
- manicAbnormally elevated, agitated
- psychoticSuffering reality-detachment
- delusionalHolding false beliefs firmly
dissociative · anxious · dysregulated · unbalanced · disturbed · decompensating · fragile · vulnerable · crisis · breakdown
unhinged
Mentally or emotionally unstable
cracked · cuckoo · loony · batty · loco · bonkers · mental · psycho · nutty · wacko
- chaosmayhem, chaotic, pandemonium, bedlam, turmoil
- emotionaldramatic, hysterical, weepy, tearful, melodramatic
- nonfunctionalbroken, malfunctioning, inoperative, out of order, nonfunctional
- Precariousnessprecarious, teetering, tottering, wobbly, wobbling
- structural conditionsintact, damaged, compromised, sound, unsound
- weakweak, feeble, frail, fragile, faint
unstablestable
Secure and unchanging
balanced · level-headed · sane · steady · even-keeled
unstablestable
Secure and unchanging
constant · steady · unchanging · consistent · predictable
- unstable relationshipsBonds prone to disruption
- unstable airAtmosphere prone to vertical motion
- unstable equilibriumBalance lost if nudged