stablesta‧ble1 /ˈsteɪbəl/ ●●○ W3 AWL adjective 
A wide base will make the structure much more stable.in a stable condition British English, in stable condition American English He is said to be in a stable condition in hospital. Children like a stable environment.2calm, reasonable, and not easy to upset OPP unstable: He was clearly not a very stable person.3technical a stable substance tends to stay in the same chemical or atomic state OPP unstable—stably adverb
WORD ORIGINstable1
Origin:
1200-1300 Old French estable, from Latin stabilis, from stare ‘to stand’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a stable family environment
- a stable government
- Fuel prices have become more stable after several increases last year.
- His temperature remained stable throughout the night.
- Most people described her as a stable, intelligent woman.
- That chair doesn't look very stable.
- But these sports are introduced against a stable background.
- Given these planning parameters, one would predict a stable residential village with some river-related industrial growth.
- In particular it seems to be required to be quiet, stable and relatively slow.
- The mammalian gut has been stable for many millennia and acts to constrain the flexibility of E. coli's genome.
- This is a very stable tent with ample room.
- Yet with material security and a stable culture, all of them parented more successfully than their own parents had.
Longman Language Activatornot changing and always the same
use this about an amount or level that remains the same over a long period: · We live next door to a busy street and there is always a constant level of noise in the background.remain/stay constant: · Unemployment is likely to remain more or less constant for the next two years.
use this about an amount that remains the same or a process that continues in the same way over a long period, especially when this is a good thing: · We drove all day at a steady 65 miles an hour.· It's important to keep the temperature of the oven at a steady high heat.a steady increase/decrease/decline etc: · The study also notes a steady decline in the number of college students taking science courses.steady growth/progress: · Economists say they expect continued steady growth throughout the year.at a steady rate: · Larger families were being rehoused at a steady rate.a steady stream of visitors/enquiries etc: · A steady stream of refugees arrived at the camp.
use this about prices, amounts, or levels that are no longer changing, after a period when they were changing a lot: · Fuel prices have become more stable after several increases last year.remain stable: · His temperature remained stable throughout the night.
use this about amounts, prices, or times that cannot be changed: · The lessons began and ended at fixed times.· In Communist Russia prices of all common commodities used to be fixed.fixed income/price/rate etc: · Workers are paid a fixed rate per hour.· a fixed-rate mortgage· "I'm retired and on a fixed income." Marson said. "I can't handle this myself, financially." fixed penalty: · The policeman told me there was a fixed penalty of $20 for driving without a rear light.
not changing even when conditions change: · the unchanging nature of God· The road ran through an unchanging desert landscape.· Here, you seem to be immersed in an unchanging rural way of life, seemingly unaffected by progress and the modern world.
WORD SETSacetate, nounacid, nounacidic, adjectiveacidify, verbactive, adjectiveadditive, nounagent, nounalchemy, nounalcohol, nounalkali, nounalkaline, adjectiveamalgam, nounantioxidant, noun-ate, suffixatomic number, nounbase, nounbauxite, nounbeaker, nounbenzene, nounbiochemistry, nounbitumen, nounbleach, nounbond, nounbonding, nouncalcify, verbcarbohydrate, nouncarbonate, nouncarbon dioxide, nouncarbonize, verbcatalyst, nouncaustic, adjectivechain reaction, nounchemical, nounchemical, adjectivechemical reaction, nounchemist, nounchemistry, nounchlorinate, verbcitric acid, nouncombustion, nounconcentration, nouncondense, verbcontaminant, nouncontaminate, verbcontaminated, adjectivecorrode, verbcorrosion, nouncorrosive, adjectivecrucible, nouncrystal, nouncrystallize, verbcyanide, nounDDT, noundecay, verbdecay, noundecompose, verbdegrade, verbderive, verbdetoxification, noundextrose, noundioxin, noundispersion, noundissolve, verbdistill, verbeffervesce, verbeffervescent, adjectiveelectrolysis, nounelectrolyte, nounelectroplate, verbemulsify, verbemulsion, nounenzyme, nounexpand, verbfatty acid, nounferment, verbferment, nounflashback, nounflask, nounformaldehyde, nounformula, nounfructose, nounfungicide, nounfuse, verbgas, noungaseous, adjectiveglucose, noungranular, adjectivegraphite, nounhallucinogen, nounhelium, nounherbicide, nounhydrate, nouninert, adjectiveinsoluble, adjectiveinsulin, nounion, nounionize, verblactic acid, nounlimescale, nounlitmus, nounlitmus paper, nounlitmus test, nounmethane, nounmixture, nounmolecule, nounneon, nounnerve gas, nounneutralize, verbneutron, nounnitric acid, nounnucleic acid, nounnucleus, nounnutrient, nounorganic chemistry, nounosmosis, nounoxidize, verboxyacetylene, nounoxygenate, verbozone, nounpart, nounpectin, nounpesticide, nounpestle, nounpetrochemical, nounpH, nounphotosynthesis, nounplasma, nounpolyunsaturated, adjectivepotash, nounprecipitate, verbprecipitate, nounprecipitation, nounproduct, nounprussic acid, nounquicklime, nounradioactive, adjectiveradioactivity, nounradiology, nounreact, verbreaction, nounreactive, adjectivereagent, nounresidue, nounretort, nounriboflavin, nounsalt, nounsaltpetre, nounsaturate, verbsaturated, adjectivesaturation, nounsaturation point, nounsemiconductor, nounsoft, adjectivesolid, nounsolution, nounsolvent, nounstability, nounstabilizer, nounstable, adjectivestarch, nounsteam, nounsucrose, nounsulphate, nounsulphide, nounsulphur, nounsulphur dioxide, nounsulphuric acid, nounsulphurous, adjectivesurface tension, nounsuspension, nounsynthesize, verbsynthetic, adjectivetannin, nountartaric acid, nounTNT, noununstable, adjectivevalence, nounvitamin, nounvolatile, adjectivevulcanize, verbwater softener, nounwater-soluble, adjectivewater vapour, nounwetting agent, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Several passengers were listed in critical condition.
1steady and not likely to move or change OPP unstable: British English, in stable condition American English He is said to be in a stable condition in hospital.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES He is said to be in a stable condition in hospital. (=not likely to rise or fall suddenly)· The government want to maintain a stable currency.
(=steady, rather than being strong then weak)· The economy has been relatively stable for the last two or three years.
(=without any big changes)· They argued that being married helps provide a stable environment for bringing up children.
(=a caring family without a lot of changes)· He had grown up in a stable home.
Several passengers were listed in critical condition. (=place where people learn to ride horses)
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Santorini is about as stable as the proverbial blancmange.· He also received surgery at Broomfield Hospital, and his condition was later described as stable.· A society with n independent currencies should be times as stable as one with a single currency.· His condition yesterday was described as stable and comfortable.· Nothing in this countryside is ever as stable as people would like it to be.· A hospital spokesman said: Paul is still ill, but can now be described as stable.
· Monetarists argue that the demand for money is inelastic with respect to interest rates and also fairly stable over time.· Probably, although surely there is a core of fairly stable synapses.· This proportionate share of crime has remained fairly stable during the past decade.· After the Second World War, the numbers received annually kept fairly stable, unlike the parallel figures for men.· Prices of cocaine, crack and heroin were fairly stable in 1989 and 1990.· Since then immigration has been fairly stable.· Secondly, under a wide variety of circumstances, what we see in various situations remains fairly stable.· The details of its internal structure varied somewhat from time to time, but the main lines remained fairly stable.
· Most attention has been directed at the in-migrants and out-migrants to the exclusion of a core of more or less stable groups.· On a geologic time scale of millions to hundreds of millions of years, Earth is far less stable.· There was particular caution where London was concerned since communities were less stable.· The presence of hydrogen means they are less stable in the atmosphere, leading to a greatly reduced atmospheric residence time.· This suggests the Whites were a more transient, less stable population.· External frames are sometimes available, but are less stable to carry.· Howard protested about overcrowding in conditions of a more or less stable prison population.· His material fortunes always seemed to be less stable than those of most rich men.
· By mid-1983, more stable oil prices helped slow the rate of inflation, and employment prospects looked rather brighter.· This is in contrast to most enzymes which are more stable refrigerated or frozen. 313.· Gurney reckons this design makes the bike more stable because the centre of gravity is lower.· Windows 95, as part of its multitasking features, is more stable in other ways, too.· The mooring is more stable and less vulnerable to weather than that at Dunbar.· I can report that this version is more stable, with one exception.· Since electrons are more stable when paired together in orbitals, radicals are generally more reactive than non-radicals.
· The aim is to find the most stable balance achievable, at the lowest possible level.· Milken devised a way to transform the bonds of the most stable companies to junk: leveraged corporate take-overs.· The community that showed the most stable and consistent patterns of gender-differentiation was the East Belfast Ballymacarrett community.· The method used to build the most stable and convenient structure possible will vary with the soil texture and climate.· Quartz, on the other hand, is the most stable and crystallizes at the lowest temperature.· Its body shape means it is one of the most stable road vehicles in crosswinds.· Since the future mouth region provides the most stable contact sites, the gut is pulled gradually to that region.· This means that water is not in its most stable state at this temperature and pressure.
· The United States had provided a reasonably stable inflationary ceiling up to the mid-sixties.· For these reasons, most finns strive to maintain a reasonably stable dividend payment from year to year.· At one level this has enabled him to achieve the considerable feat of maintaining reasonably stable government for more than twenty years.· High slack systems are those organizations operating with an abundance of resources in reasonably stable and minimally competitive environments.· In fact the adduct was reasonably stable at room temperature and in solutions of up to 20 percent water content.
· However, the prices of rugs from each individual weaving group remain relatively stable in relation to those of others.· The existence of rules that ensure that complex and relatively stable structures emerge in the universe suggests an intelligent rule-giver.· This is why the pound has been relatively stable against the dollar.· Thus the relatively stable East Midlands Platform has not undergone post-Permian vertical movements of some 2500 m indicated by the vitrinite data.· Exchange rates have also been relatively stable in the last two years.· That happened in 1990, not last year, when the figures were relatively stable.· By contrast the middle-class area has a relatively stable and prosperous population.
· This is a very stable tent with ample room.· He was clearly not a very stable person.· So far we have not lost any member because of the recession, largely because our membership is very stable financially.· Buckminsterfullerene is a very stable molecule made of pure carbon.· Most polar fish live in waters at temperature that are very stable and close to 0°C.· Happily, it was generally very stable air when we did this.· For many months there was a very stable weather pattern affecting most of the northern hemisphere.· And it grips the road well and feels very stable in comparison to others in the supermini class.
NOUN· The three white mares shared their stable block with a group of Shetland ponies.· At the side of the house, across a cobbled yard, lay an L-shaped stable block.· Only the stable block now survives as Elizabeth would have seen it.· No sign of Ward, but I could hear the murmur of voices from the direction of the stable block.· They disappeared into the stable block.· The Tudor stable block contains an exhibition about the Battle of Quebec.· An old stable block houses the Garden Centre Shop with an exclusive range of products, gifts and plants.· The garage was part of the stable block and had been made out of the old coach house.
· The bistable will now be in a stable condition.· He is in stable condition in the intensive care unit at Kaiser Medical Center in Vallejo.· Last night the hospitals said Jason was poorly and Neil was in a stable condition.· Tonight the baby is in a critical but stable condition in hospital.· A nursing supervisor Monday morning said they were in stable condition.· Tonight he's in a critical, but stable condition.· He was listed in stable condition.
· Most people want to be paid in a valuable, stable currency that is a sound store of wealth.· A country that maintains a strong banking system and a strong, stable currency reaps real rewards.· Then, both of the conditions on which authentic democracy depends, near-full employment and a stable currency, will have gone.· And a stable currency gives industry a chance to realise the potential released by the reforms of the 1990s.· We will promote enterprise through low taxes, sound money and a stable currency.
· It really is rather unusual for a more or less stable democracy to undertake changes of this scope in peacetime.· Yet the path to stable democracy, efficient market economy and social justice is a hard one. 5.· Open and moderate partisanship, then, are essential to a stable democracy.
· The top half of the stable door was open but Waldegrave had apparently closed the bottom behind him.· Corrigan remembered the people coming up to the stable door and begging food or work.· Unfortunately I had shut the stable door after the horse had fled.· Control in most cases is ex post facto and akin to closing the stable door when the horse has bolted.· This really was an attempt to bolt the stable door after the horses had bolted.· His hand was stroking a rug flung over the stable door.· To lock up young car thieves is another example of bolting the stable door after the horse has fled.· Though it's a bit like shutting the stable door.
· The bureaucratic style can be very efficient in a stable environment and when the organisation is of a large size.· It was an inexpensive, safe, stable environment for families while they got back on their feet.· Once you've done them, people expect them to happen again and that takes away from a stable environment.· But although the sea is overall a stable environment, it is not unvarying.· Until now it was assumed that sites deep underground provided a stable environment for buried waste.· If the organisation is in a stable environment then such formality may be no bad thing.· Unhealthy Environment A stable environment can, unfortunately, be an unhealthy one.· Animals rarely live in completely stable environments.
· Our aim will be the creation of stable government for a whole Parliament and a more democratic basis for future elections.· Our goal is a stable government there, carrying on a struggle to maintain its national independence.· The revisionist theorists were also, however, much concerned with strong and stable government.· Investors hoped then the team of ex-Communist leaders would bring quicker reforms and a more stable government.· It is hoped that a stable government-of whatever party-will emerge from this month's election.· He and other analysts figure that formation of a stable government would draw in more foreign investment, buoying the market.· But there is a long way to go before he establishes a stable government that can put these qualities into action.· At one level this has enabled him to achieve the considerable feat of maintaining reasonably stable government for more than twenty years.
· Each case has to be considered on its merits where an ambiguous answer emerges from the stable isotope data.· A stable isotope of potassium, 9K, is converted to 39Ar by neutron bombardment of the sample to be dated.
· A young stable lad led out another horse, and stood waiting for the one which the smith had almost finished shoeing.· He was a stable lad at Kingsley House, Middleham, at the time.
· For the people, this meant stable price levels, rising living standards, and increased employment opportunities.· Hence $ 3 is the only stable price of corn under the supply and demand conditions shown in Table 4-8.· Government was able to claim to have maintained full employment, an expanding economy, stable prices, and a strong pound.
· The others lack the faculties to stay in sport and so lose the option to form a stable relationship with the coach.· And it gives those of us with a history of less stable relationships a certain amount of hope for the future!· Lesbian lovers are not nasty, they are told, but women involved in stable relationships.· Some older teenagers are married or in stable relationships within which having a baby is a wanted event.· Of 88 opioid users in stable relationships, 43 percent stated that their partner also used drugs.· To finance any investment plans decided on by his board, he kept a pretty stable relationship with the firm's banks.· About half said they were in stable relationships.· The father, who had established a stable relationship with another woman, wanted the children to live with him.
· He has no memory of any such difficulties, only of how stable society was then.· A little religion is thought, furthermore, to be the way to reduce crime and promote a stable society.· It was an unspectacular, stable society, like the Basque Provinces enjoying a large degree of local autonomy.· Thus an ordered and stable society requires shared norms and values.
· Species, then, are real, even if they do not represent different stable states of matter.· This occurs when the disturbance is dissipated by direct return to a strongly stable state.· It produces a state of homeostasis, a mechanism which enables a system to remain in a stable state through time.· This means that water is not in its most stable state at this temperature and pressure.· It must have reached thermodynamic equilibrium over the years, and represents the most stable state for this composition.· The most stable state of could well be polystyrene; that of might well be polyester.· Connecting a diode in parallel with the capacitor C converts the astable multivibrator into a monostable multivibrator with one stable state.· From time to time various members of this population will move from a stable state to having a special status.
· They rode out of the stable yard.· Mary had been playing with some other children in the stable yard and had suddenly fainted.· Then we parted, I went on and she went back with Blazer to the stable yard.· The stable yard fraternity is seldom short of the picturesque word.· It was a stable yard all right.
A wide base will make the structure much more stable.in a stable condition British English, in stable condition American English He is said to be in a stable condition in hospital. Children like a stable environment.2calm, reasonable, and not easy to upset OPP unstable: He was clearly not a very stable person.3technical a stable substance tends to stay in the same chemical or atomic state OPP unstable—stably adverb