LABILE Definition & Meaning

labile

[ley-bahyl, -buhl]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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.

labile

/ ˈleɪbɪl, ləˈbɪlɪtɪ /

adjective

chem (of a compound) prone to chemical change
liable to change or move

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Other 51�Թ� Forms

lability noun

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of labile¹

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

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of labile¹

C15: via Late Latin ��, from Latin ��ī to slide, slip

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

When Didion expresses guilt that her adopted daughter is in such a “labile” state, he offers:

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Someone with high IIV might be considered an emotionally labile person.

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Inserting Blanchett’s labile performance into a grid or a bubble amounts to a dissection of emotion, which is perhaps what personality types are all about.

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“These memories become labile for a short time, and then they actually have to be reconsolidated and laid down again,” he says.

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Arias, an exciting and emotionally labile actor, makes Anna a jittery creature, like a woman in the constant throes of a low-grade fever.

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Labiche lability

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