WordGarden.iolabile
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /ˈleɪbaɪl/adjective
US
- /lˈeɪbaɪl/
Meanings
Adjective
showing rapid or wide fluctuations, especially in mood or bodily condition
readily undergoing chemical, physical, or biological change or breakdown
readily changeable or unstable
Beyond the definition
Imagine a flickering candle flame - always shifting and never fully steady. That's the kind of thing "labile" describes. It refers to something that changes easily or does not stay stable for long, especially a person's emotions or a chemical substance. Someone who is emotionally labile may move quickly from joy to sadness, while a labile substance may break down or react easily.
Think of something that never quite settles. That's a useful image here. You would not describe a sturdy oak tree this way; it is far too stable. But you would use the word for feelings that keep changing or for a substance that is easily altered. In psychology, labile affect means a person's emotional expression changes quickly and often.
"Labile" comes from the Latin word "labilis," meaning easily moved or changed. It describes something that is inherently unstable, prone to variation, or readily altered. While it can apply to physical things, it's most often used in contexts involving emotions, mental states, and chemical reactions.
In psychology and psychiatry, "labile" often appears when describing a person's emotional state. Labile affect refers to quickly shifting displays of emotion - someone might laugh one moment and cry the next with little apparent reason. This can appear in certain neurological or psychological conditions.
However, "labile" is not limited to people. In chemistry, a labile bond is one that is easily broken, replaced, or changed under the right conditions. A labile compound is unstable and reacts or decomposes readily. In biology and medicine, the word can also describe functions or states that shift easily instead of staying steady.
More broadly, the word can describe anything that is unstable and likely to shift quickly, though this wider use is less common than the emotional and scientific ones. If a situation is described this way, it suggests that it may change suddenly and be hard to predict.
So whether it is a person's mood, an emotional display, or a chemical bond, if something is labile, expect it to be in flux - changeable, unsteady, and difficult to predict.
Examples
- 1
Emotional state
After several sleepless nights, she became emotionally labile and cried over small problems.
- 2
Clinical mood
His labile mood made it hard for the staff to predict how he would respond.
- 3
Medical observation
During the exam, the patient showed a labile affect, smiling one moment and becoming tearful the next.
- Domainlabile affect
a medical phrase for rapidly changing emotional expression
- 4
Laboratory samples
The enzyme is heat-labile, so the samples must stay cold until the test begins.
- Phraseheat-labile
easily damaged or changed by heat
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Do not confuse
Used with (collocations)
- labile mood
- emotionally labile
- labile blood pressure
- chemically labile
Word family
- lability
Explore
- mood instability
- chemical instability
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- labileadjective