Definition of "stability" []

• The state or quality of being stable, especially: (noun)
• Resistance to change, deterioration, or displacement. (noun)
• Constancy of character or purpose; steadfastness. (noun)
• Reliability; dependability. (noun)
• The ability of an object, such as a ship or aircraft, to maintain equilibrium or resume its original, upright position after displacement, as by the sea or strong winds. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Thus the prominent foreign policy analyst James Chace was properly using the term "stability" in its technical sense when he explained that in order to achieve "stability" in Chile it was necessary to "destabilize" the country by overthrowing the elected government of Salvador Allende and installing the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet."
• "That I think the operations in about three quarters of that country will probably shift in the near future to what we call stability operations where the reconstruction that's so important for the long-term stability and prosperity of the Afghan people will take place and will enable other nongovernmental organizations and so forth to come in."
• "If you're benching, the chains are rattling and you kind of feel the weight changing, so you have to make sure your stability is there, and also you add a lot more weight to it."