Word
stable
Phoneticssta·ble
US/ˈsteɪbəɫ/
UK/stˈeɪbəl/
Definitions
01steady and unchanging
adj. steady and not likely to move, change, or fail.
adj. firmly established and not likely to fluctuate or deteriorate; resistant to sudden change.
“The patient is in a stable condition after the surgery.”
“Economists remain cautious despite the stable inflation rates, noting that geopolitical tensions could still disrupt the global supply chain.”
02software/computing
adj. a version of a computer program that is tested and has very few errors.
adj. denoting a software release that has undergone rigorous testing and is considered reliable for production use.
“You should download the stable version of the app instead of the beta.”
“The development team decided to delay the feature rollout until the stable build could be verified across all legacy operating systems.”
Technical
Antonyms
03building for horses
n. a building where horses are kept and fed.
n. a building or set of buildings specifically designed for the housing and feeding of livestock, particularly horses.
“He spent the morning cleaning the stable and feeding the horses.”
“The equestrian centre features a modern stable with climate control and automated feeding systems for the prize-winning stallions.”
04a group of people
n. a group of people, like athletes or performers, who work for the same person or company.
n. a group of individuals, such as athletes, writers, or performers, who are managed or trained by the same organization.
“The talent agency has a stable of very famous actors.”
“The publishing house boasts an impressive stable of young novelists who have collectively won several major literary awards this year.”
Formal
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“In a stable climate, glaciers would be expected to remain more or less the same size over the long-term.” “Generally speaking, stable business conditions mean less risk for businesses and a healthier Main Street .” “In 2024, the researchers found that increasing amounts of meltwater entering the North Atlantic make the AMOC less stable.” “During the same period, personal environmental behaviors remained fairly stable.” Etymology
From Middle English stable, borrowed from Anglo-Norman stable, from Latin stab(u)lum.
From Middle English stable, from Anglo-Norman stable, stabel, from Latin stabilis (“firm, steadfast”) (itself from stare (“stand”) + -abilis (“able”)). Displaced native Old English staþolfæst.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Idioms
Augean stables — The stables where King Augeas kept his vast herd.
close the stable door after the horse has bolted — To attempt to prevent a problem that has already occurred; to design and implement a preventive mechanism that is too late (after the first failure instead of before).
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/stable