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Fragile vs Unstable - What's the difference?

fragile | unstable | Related terms |

Fragile is a related term of unstable.


As adjectives the difference between fragile and unstable

is that fragile is easily broken or destroyed, and thus often of subtle or intricate structure while unstable is having a strong tendency to change.

fragile

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Easily broken or destroyed, and thus often of subtle or intricate structure.
    • The chemist synthesizes a fragile molecule.
    The UN tries to maintain the fragile peace process in the region.
    He is a very fragile person and gets easily depressed.

    Synonyms

    * friable * breakly * breakable * destroyable * destructible * See also

    Antonyms

    * durable * unbreakable * undestroyable * indestructible

    Derived terms

    * fragilely

    Related terms

    * fractal * fraction * fractional * fracture * fragility * frail * frailty * frangible

    unstable

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Having a strong tendency to change.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-03, volume=408, issue=8847, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= Yesterday’s fuel , passage=The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania.
  • Fluctuating; not constant.
  • Fickle.
  • Unpredictable.
  • (chemistry) Readily decomposable.
  • (physics) Radioactive, especially with a short half-life.

    • Synonyms

    * instable (rare) * (not held or fixed securely and likely to fall over) precarious, rickety, shaky, tottering, unsafe, unsteady, wobbly

    Antonyms

    * stable

    Related terms

    * instability * unstability (rare)

    Anagrams

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