stability

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Permanence

Nouns

1. stability; immutability, unchangeableness, constancy, firmness, equilibrium, immobility, soundness, vitality, stiffness, solidity, aplomb; establishment, fixture; homeostasis; permanence; obstinacy, resolution. See durability.

2. rock, pillar, tower, foundation, leopard's spots; rock of Gibraltar; zero population growth, ZPG.

Verbs

1. be or stand firm; stick fast; weather the storm, hold up; settle down, take root; entrench oneself, hold the line, stand pat, stay put; hold or stand one's ground, hold one's own. Informal, hold the fort.

2. establish, settle, fix, set, retain, keep or take hold, pin down; make good or sure; perpetuate (see perpetuity); mark time.

Adjectives

1. stable, fixed, steadfast, firm, fast, steady, balanced; con-firmed, valid, immovable, irremovable, riveted, rooted; settled, established, vested; incontrovertible; tethered, anchored, moored; firm as a rock; firmly seated or established; deep-rooted, ineradicable; inveterate; stuck fast, aground, high and dry, stranded. See obstinacy.

2. unchangeable, immutable; unaltered, unalterable; changeless, constant, permanent; invariable, undeviating; durable, perennial.

3. conservative, Tory, reactionary, diehard (see permanence).

Adverbs — in status quo; at a standstill; as is.

Quotations — The law must be stable, but it must not stand still (Roscoe Pound), There is nothing stable in the world — uproar's your only music (John Keats).

Antonyms, see changeableness, motion.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [Firmness of position]

Syn. steadiness, durability, solidity, endurance, substantiality, immobility, suspense, immovability, inaction, establishment, solidness, balance, permanence.

2. [Steadfastness of character]

Syn. stableness, aplomb, security, endurance, maturity, constancy, resoluteness, determination, perseverance, adherence, backbone, assurance, resistance; see also confidence 2 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

steadiness, sturdiness, firmness, solidity, equilibrium, balance, strength, soundness, permanence, constancy, dependability, reliability.

ANT.: instability, shakiness, unsteadiness

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. The condition of being free from defects or flaws: durability, firmness, integrity, solidity, soundness, strength, wholeness. See BETTER. 2. Reliability in withstanding pressure, force, or stress: fastness, firmness, hardness, security, soundness, stableness, steadiness, strength, stur-diness, sureness. See BETTER, CHANGE, CONTINUE.