unsteady

[ uhn-sted-ee ]

adjective

1. not steady or firm; unstable; shaky:

   an unsteady hand.

2. fluctuating or wavering:

   an unsteady flame; unsteady prices.

   Synonyms: vacillating

3. irregular or uneven:

   an unsteady development.

verb (used with object)

, un·stead·ied, un·stead·y·ing.

1. to make unsteady.

unsteady

/ ʌnˈstɛdɪ /

adjective

1. not securely fixed

   an unsteady foothold

2. (of behaviour, etc) lacking constancy; erratic
3. without regularity

   an unsteady rhythm

4. (of a manner of walking, etc) precarious, staggering, as from intoxication

verb

1. tr to make unsteady

Derived Forms

• unˈsteadiness, noun
• unˈsteadily, adverb

Other Words From

• un·steadi·ly adverb
• un·steadi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unsteady¹

First recorded in 1525–35; un- ¹ + steady

Synonym Study

See unsettled.

Example Sentences

Because though it was never guaranteed in our household, in those years following the rebellion, in those sometimes unsteady months as a new family of three in the haze of my parents divorce, we held on to the depth of that possibility no matter what came our way.

From Los Angeles Times

This was not an entirely unreasonable characterization, given that his public speaking was so unsteady that he had to step down from the ticket after forgetting what he was talking about every 15 seconds at the first presidential debate.

From Slate

As bad as it looks on the page, it sounded and looked worse live, especially when taken in context with the unsteady way he had walked to his lectern, the barely audible voice he was speaking with, and the vacant, almost alarmed way he stared into the camera when Trump was talking:

From Slate

“He stands outside, in the dark London night, sobbing and unsteady, the handrail only a few feet away. And below that is the cold hard pavement,” Henry writes in her book.

From Los Angeles Times

“I watch in horror as he sways a bit, unsteady on his feet, inching ever closer to the railing. He has to stop, I think. I have to stop him.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• erratic
• groggy
• precarious
• rickety
• rocky
• unstable
• wobbly