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Definition of stable adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

stable

adjective
 
/ˈsteɪbl/
 
/ˈsteɪbl/
Word Family
  • stable adjective (≠ unstable)
  • stability noun (≠ instability)
  • stabilize verb
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  1. fixed or steady; not likely to move, change or fail synonym steady
    • The patient's condition is stable (= it is not getting worse).
    • Cattle prices remain stable.
    • The situation in the country has remained relatively stable for a few months now.
    • This ladder doesn't seem very stable.
    • This would result in a more stable environment for the children.
    • a stable relationship
    • Efforts to establish a stable democracy in the country may well succeed.
    • Put a book under the table leg to keep it stable.
    Extra Examples
    • Don't worry—it's perfectly stable!
    • The unit is stable enough on level ground.
    • attempts to keep prices stable
    • He was not married, but he was in a stable relationship.
    • The industry should do everything it can to keep prices stable.
    • These children badly need a stable and secure home life.
    • a stable situation/​environment/​government/​population
    • stable employment
    Topics Moneyb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • look
    • seem
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    See full entry
  2. (of a person) calm and reasonable; not easily upset synonym balanced
    • Mentally, she is not very stable.
    • He was not emotionally stable enough to think through his decision.
    • Psychiatric officials determined that he was psychologically stable.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • look
    • seem
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    See full entry
  3. (specialist) (of a substance) staying in the same chemical or atomic state
    • chemically stable
    • an element forming stable compounds
  4. opposite unstable
    Word Originadjective Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French, from Latin stabilis, from the base of stare ‘to stand’.
See stable in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee stable in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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