INSTABILITY

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does instability mean? 

• INSTABILITY (noun)
  The noun INSTABILITY has 4 senses:

1. an unstable order

2. unreliability attributable to being unstable

3. a lack of balance or state of disequilibrium

4. the quality or attribute of being unstable and irresolute

  Familiarity information: INSTABILITY used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INSTABILITY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An unstable order

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("instability" is a kind of...):

disorder (a disturbance of the peace or of public order)

Antonym:

stability (a stable order (especially of society))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Unreliability attributable to being unstable

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("instability" is a kind of...):

undependability; undependableness; unreliability; unreliableness (the trait of not being dependable or reliable)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A lack of balance or state of disequilibrium

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

imbalance; instability; unbalance

Context example:

a hormonal imbalance

Hypernyms ("instability" is a kind of...):

disequilibrium (loss of equilibrium attributable to an unstable situation in which some forces outweigh others)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The quality or attribute of being unstable and irresolute

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

instability; unstableness

Hypernyms ("instability" is a kind of...):

unsteadiness (the quality of being unsteady--varying and unpredictable)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "instability"):

shakiness (the quality of being unstable and insecure)

Antonym:

stability (the quality or attribute of being firm and steadfast)

 Context examples 

Malfunction of the mismatch repair system results in a mutator phenotype, which is manifested as microsatellite instability (MSI).

(DNA Mismatch Repair Protein MLH3, NCI Thesaurus)

Patient cells manifest an extreme chromosomal instability and hypersensitivity to polyfunctional alkylating agents.

(Fanconi's Anemia, NCI Thesaurus)

Ku also binds to DNA ends with a telomere binding protein and mediates telomere capping to prevent fusion of chromosome ends and genetic instability.

(Ku Protein, NCI Thesaurus)

DNA hypomethylation of certain genes leads to chromosome instability and contributes to tumor development.

(L-methylfolate, NCI Thesaurus)

Dihydro-5-azacytidine inhibits DNA methyltransferase, thereby interfering with abnormal DNA methylation patterns that are associated with genetic instability in some tumor cells.

(Dihydro-5-Azacytidine, NCI Thesaurus)

A dinucleotide repeat on chromosome 5 that serves as a marker for microsatellite instability in colorectal cancers.

(D5S346, NCI Thesaurus)

All CRC display either microsatellite instability (MSI) or chromosome instability (CIN).

(Colorectal Cancer Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

Some authors have suggested that it is a precursor lesion for some colorectal adenocarcinomas with microsatellite instability.

(Colorectal Sessile Serrated Adenoma/Polyp, NCI Thesaurus)

This leads to an interruption of the bacterial cell wall, causing instability of bacterial cell wall and results in cell lysis.

(Cyclacillin, NCI Thesaurus)

A dinucleotide repeat on chromosome 2 that serves as a marker for microsatellite instability in colorectal cancers.

(D2S123, NCI Thesaurus)