Standard Lemma guide

stability

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /stəˈbɪlɪti/
  • [stəˈbɪlɪɾi]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪlɪti
  • CMU ARPABET: S T AH0 B IH1 L IH0 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • This platform offers good stability

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stableness

Antonyms: instability

2

noun

Meaning 2

The tendency to recover from perturbations.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • emotional stability

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the quality of being enduring and free from change or variation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • early mariners relied on the constancy of the trade winds

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: constancy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: changelessness, unchangeability, unchangeableness, unchangingness

Narrower terms: invariance, metastability, monotony

4

noun

Meaning 4

the quality or attribute of being firm and steadfast

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stableness

Antonyms: instability

Broader terms: steadiness, firmness

5

noun

Meaning 5

a stable order (especially of society)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: instability

Broader terms: order

History

Etymology

From Middle English stabletee, stabilite, from Old French stabilité, from Latin root of stabilitas (“firmness, steadfastness”), from stabilis (“steadfast, firm”). Displaced native Old English staþolfæstnes.

Across languages

Translations

76 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: stabiliteit — condition of being stable
  • Arabic: اِسْتِقْرَار (istiqrār) — condition of being stable
  • Armenian: կայունություն (kayunutʻyun) — condition of being stable
  • Asturian: estabilidá — condition of being stable
  • Azerbaijani: sabitlik — condition of being stable
  • Azerbaijani: dayanıqlılıq — condition of being stable
  • Belarusian: стабі́льнасць (stabílʹnascʹ) — condition of being stable
  • Bulgarian: стабилност (stabilnost) — condition of being stable
  • Bulgarian: устойчивост (ustojčivost) — condition of being stable
  • Catalan: estabilitat — condition of being stable
  • Chinese Mandarin: 穩定性 /稳定性 (wěndìngxìng) — condition of being stable
  • Chinese Mandarin: 穩定 /稳定 (wěndìng) — condition of being stable
  • Czech: stabilita — condition of being stable
  • Dutch: stabiliteit — condition of being stable
  • Esperanto: stabileco — condition of being stable
  • Estonian: stabiilsus — condition of being stable
  • Finnish: vakaus — condition of being stable
  • French: stabilité — condition of being stable
  • Galician: estabilidade — condition of being stable
  • German: Stabilität — condition of being stable
  • Greek: ευστάθεια (efstátheia) — condition of being stable
  • Greek: σταθερότητα (statherótita) — condition of being stable
  • Hebrew: יציבות (yatsivút) — condition of being stable
  • Hindi: स्थिरता (sthirtā) — condition of being stable
  • Hungarian: stabilitás — condition of being stable
  • Icelandic: stöðugleiki — condition of being stable
  • Indonesian: stabilitas — condition of being stable
  • Indonesian: kestabilan — condition of being stable
  • Interlingua: stabilitate — condition of being stable
  • Irish: diongbháilteacht — condition of being stable
  • Irish: diongbháil — condition of being stable
  • Italian: stabilità — condition of being stable
  • Japanese: 安定性 (anteisei) — condition of being stable
  • Japanese: 安定 (antei) — condition of being stable
  • Japanese: スタビリティー (sutabiritī) — condition of being stable
  • Latin: firmitās — condition of being stable
  • Latin: firmitūdō — condition of being stable
  • Latin: stabilitās — condition of being stable
  • Malay: kestabilan — condition of being stable
  • Manchu: ᠠᡴᡩᡠᠨ (akdun) — condition of being stable
  • Māori: pūmautanga — condition of being stable
  • Mongolian: бат бөх байдал (bat böx bajdal) — condition of being stable
  • Mongolian: тогтвортой байдал (togtvortoj bajdal) — condition of being stable
  • Norwegian Bokmål: stabilitet — condition of being stable
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: stabilitet — condition of being stable
  • Old English: staþolfæstnes — condition of being stable
  • Polish: stabilność — condition of being stable
  • Portuguese: estabilidade — condition of being stable
  • Romanian: stabilitate — condition of being stable
  • Russian: стаби́льность (stabílʹnostʹ) — condition of being stable
  • Russian: усто́йчивость (ustójčivostʹ) — condition of being stable
  • Spanish: estabilidad — condition of being stable
  • Swedish: stabilitet — condition of being stable
  • Tagalog: pagkamatatag — condition of being stable
  • Turkish: stabilite — condition of being stable
  • Ottoman Turkish: دنك (denk) — condition of being stable
  • Ottoman Turkish: موازنه (muvâzene) — condition of being stable
  • Ottoman Turkish: اعتدال (i’tidâl) — condition of being stable
  • Ukrainian: стабі́льність (stabílʹnistʹ) — condition of being stable
  • Afrikaans: stabiliteit — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • Bulgarian: стабилност (stabilnost) — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • Finnish: vakaus — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • French: stabilité — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • German: Stabilität — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • Hebrew: יציבות (yatsivút) — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • Hindi: स्थिरता (sthirtā) — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • Interlingua: stabilitate — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • Italian: stabilità — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • Latin: firmitas — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • Latin: firmitudo — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • Latin: stabilitas — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • Malay: kestabilan — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • Portuguese: estabilidade — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • Romanian: stabilitate — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • Spanish: estabilidad — tendency to recover from perturbations
  • Turkish: direnç — tendency to recover from perturbations
Real reading context

stability in complete knowledge articles