labile

[ ley-bahyl, -buhl ]

/ ˈleɪ baɪl, -bəl /

Save This Word!

adjective

apt or likely to change: the labile nature of language.

(in chemistry, biology, psychiatry, etc.) able or likely to change or break down easily, rapidly, or continually; unstable: labile emotions;labile blood pressure;cellular functions that seem to require different levels of labile zinc.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of labile

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English labil “(of the mind) wandering, forgetful,” from Latin lābilis “sliding, slipping, (of verse) smooth-flowing,” equivalent to Latin lāb(ī) “to slip” + -ilis -ile

OTHER WORDS FROM labile

la·bil·i·ty

[luh-bil-i-tee, ley-], /ləˈbɪl ɪ ti, leɪ-/, noun

Words nearby labile

labialized, labia majora, labia minora, labiate, Labiche, labile, lability, labilize, labio-, labiodental, labiogression

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use labile in a sentence

“People with a history of trauma and mental illness tend to be emotionally labile,” Kupers added.
How Solitary Confinement Destroys Women|Sarah Shourd|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the contrary the labile opsonins of normal serum have a comparatively general action on different organisms.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2|Various
This is readily intelligible on the supposition that the toxophorous group is more labile than the haptophorous.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2|Various
The latter is ferment-like and much more labile than the former, being readily destroyed at 60 C.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2|Various

In both cases an extremely labile connection with consciousness arises which leads to a rapid forgetting.
Collected Papers on Analytical Psychology|C. G. Jung
We are rather like the labile chemical compounds: our molecules readily rearrange themselves.
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 (of 6)|Havelock Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for labile

labile

/ (ˈleɪbɪl) /

adjective

chem (of a compound) prone to chemical change

liable to change or move

Derived forms of labile

lability (ləˈbɪlɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for labile

C15: via Late Latin lābilis, from Latin lābī to slide, slip

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012