unstable
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++un·sta·ble /ʌnˈsteɪbəl/ ●○○ AWL adjective 1 CHANGE/BECOME DIFFERENTlikely to change suddenly and become worse 不稳定的，易变的，动荡不定的 → instability The political situation is still very unstable. 政局依然非常动荡。 an unstable relationship 不稳定的关系2. BALANCE#something that is unstable is likely to move or fall 易动[倒下]的，不稳固的3 CHANGE/BECOME DIFFERENTsomeone who is unstable changes very suddenly so that you do not know how they will react or behave 〔人〕反复无常的，动摇不定的 a mentally unstable man 一名精神状态不稳定的男子4. HCan unstable chemical is likely to separate into simpler substances 〔化学物质〕不稳定的
Examples from the Corpus
unstable• The situation here is precarious, quite unstable.• The situation there remains very unstable.• This moves their orbital electrons from the ground state to a higher energy level that is unstable.• Regimes governed by violence are always unstable.• Was it safe to trust someone who was so emotionally unstable?• Handy rejects a full-blown version of this vision on the grounds that such a divergent society would be very unstable.• It was potentially extremely dangerous and although it had survived since the war it may have been very unstable.• He is emotionally unstable, and his aggressive attitude often culminates in violence.• The isotope U-235 is unstable, decaying by a process called spontaneous fission.• an unstable economy• That scaffolding looks unstable - get all the building workers off the site immediately.• Mentally unstable, he would kill his parents in an explosive night of violence.• The woman, who was described as mentally unstable, refused to talk about her reasons for the shooting.• Working with Clare every day, I began to realize how unstable she was.un·sta·ble adjectiveChineseSyllable
change worse likely suddenly to become Corpus and
unstable
un‧sta‧ble AC /ʌnˈsteɪbəl/
adjective
1. likely to change suddenly and become worse ⇨ instability:
The political situation is still very unstable.
an unstable relationship
2. something that is unstable is likely to move or fall
3. someone who is unstable changes very suddenly so that you do not know how they will react or behave:
a mentally unstable man
4. an unstable chemical is likely to separate into simpler substances
▪ mentally ill having an illness that affects your mind and your behaviour: Many mentally ill people are treated in the community. | He was declared mentally ill and unfit to stand trial.
▪crazy informal mentally ill: I couldn’t think straight. I felt like I was going crazy (=becoming crazy).
▪mad old-fashioned mentally ill. This word is now usually considered offensive, and is usually used in a different meaning, when you think that someone's ideas are not sensible: Swift himself went mad (=became mad) later in life. | a mad old woman
▪insane [not before noun] old-fashioned having a serious and permanent mental illness: She went insane after her two young sons were murdered. | a hospital for the criminally insane
▪disturbed not behaving in a normal way because of mental or emotional problems, especially problems that are caused by bad experiences: She teaches emotionally disturbed children. | Her experiences left her deeply disturbed.
▪unstable having an emotional state that often changes very suddenly: Her mother was mentally unstable. | He lived in a small Putney flat with his ageing Aunt Bunny, and his emotionally unstable sister, Nancy. | He was too unstable to be a leader.
▪deranged behaving in a crazy or dangerous way, usually because of being mentally ill: A deranged young woman entered the school and took the life of one young boy.
▪psychopathic having a serious and permanent mental illness that causes violent or criminal behaviour: The film is about a psychopathic killer.
▪psychotic suffering from or caused by a serious mental illness that changes your character and makes you unable to behave in a normal way: psychiatric services for chronic psychotic patients. | There is a tendency for psychotic illnesses to be inherited.
▪neurotic relating to or suffering from a mental illness that makes you unreasonably worried of frightened: His mother was neurotic and insecure. | She's neurotic about her weight. | A bored or lonely horse may become so neurotic that it chases itself around in circles.
un‧sta‧ble AC /ʌnˈsteɪbəl/
adjective1. likely to change suddenly and become worse ⇨ instability:
2. something that is unstable is likely to move or fall
3. someone who is unstable changes very suddenly so that you do not know how they will react or behave:
4. an unstable chemical is likely to separate into simpler substances
| THESAURUS |
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mentally ill suffering from an illness of the mind, especially in a way that affects the way you think and behave 指有精神病 insane [ ( suffering from a serious mental illness and unable to live in normal societyrather
指精神失常、神经错乱 ：◆ The question is, was the man insane when he committed the crime? 问题在于这男人犯罪时是否处于精神失常状态？ NOTE In informal Englishinsane can describe sb who is not suffering from a mental illness, but whose mind does not work normally, especially because they are under pressure. This meaning is used especially in the phrasesgo insane anddrive sb insane .在非正式英语中，insane 可用于未患精神病但尤因压力导致心智不正常的人。这一含义尤用于 go insane 和 drive sb insane 短语中。 neurotic ( suffering from or connected with neurosismedical 医学 (= a mental illness in which a person suffers strong feelings of fear and worry )指神经机能病的、神经官能症的 ：◆ the treatment of anxiety in neurotic patients 对神经官能症病人焦虑感的治疗 NOTE In informal English neurotic is also used to describe sb who is not suffering from a mental illness, but is not behaving in a calm way because they are worried about sth.在非正式英语中，neurotic 亦用以指未患精神病、但因担忧而变得神经质的人 ：◆ She became neurotic about keeping the house clean. 她对保持房子清洁有点神经质。 psychotic ( suffering from or connected with psychosismedical 医学 (= a serious mental illness in which thought and emotions lose connection with external reality )指精神错乱的、有精神病的 NOTE In informal Englishpsychotic is sometimes used to describe anyone suffering from a mental illness, but in correct medical usage it only describes people who have difficulty relating to external reality. It contrasts withneurotic , which describes people who are less seriously mentally ill and are still able to distinguish what is real from what is not.在非正式英语中，psychotic 有时用以泛指患有精神疾病，但在正确的医学用语中，只用以描述难以与客观现实建立联系的人，这与 neurotic 形成对比；neurotic 用以描述患精神错乱程度较轻，仍能区分现实与虚幻的人。 disturbed mentally ill, especially because of very unhappy or shocking experiences 指有精神病的、心理不正常的、精神紊乱的，尤因不幸或受刺激所致 ：◆ He works with emotionally disturbed children. 他从事跟精神异常儿童有关的工作。 unstable having emotions and behaviour that are likely to change suddenly and unexpectedly 指情绪、行为反复无常的、不稳定的
Patterns
neurotic/psychotic/disturbed/unstable behaviour neurotic/psychotic illnesses/disorders/symptoms/patients seriously mentally ill/neurotic/psychotic/disturbedemotionally/mentally disturbed/unstable