reliable
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
Reliable, infallible, trustworthy apply to persons, objects, ideas, or information that can be depended upon with confident certainty. Reliable suggests consistent dependability of judgment, character, performance, or result: a reliable formula, judge, car, meteorologist. Infallible suggests the complete absence of error, breakdown, or poor performance: an infallible test, system, marksman. Trustworthy emphasizes the steady and honest dependability which encourages one's confidence, belief, or trust: trustworthy and accurate reports.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reliable
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How does reliable compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Calling something reliable means you can count on it to come through when you need it; it's dependable. If you're headed out for an around-the-world sailing trip, hopefully your lifejacket is reliable. You can certainly rely on something reliable because it's trustworthy and responsible. Reliable people usually show up on time, never flake out, and always tell the truth. A reliable car isn't likely to break down and will get you from place to place safely. And if you happen to lose your trusty sidekick, good luck looking for a reliable replacement.
Vocabulary lists containing reliable
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Positive Words to Describe a Person
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"My Favorite Chaperone," Vocabulary from the short story
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the face of such developments, it was the "steadfast stand" of the North to "further expand and strengthen the powerful and absolutely reliable deterrent for self-defence", Kim said.
From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026
This recipe takes garlic bread — one of humanity’s most reliable pleasures — and pushes it toward buttery perfection.
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026
Long before our consumer gadgets are built with fully customized energy-storing materials, 3-D-printed batteries will evolve in one of history’s most reliable tech incubators: the military.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
Although scientists have long recognized their potential value, reliable methods for converting those patterns into accurate subgenome assignments have remained limited.
From Science Daily • Jun. 19, 2026
The task, in other words, is to understand how reliable knowledge and scientific progress can and do result from a flawed, profoundly contingent, culturally relative, all-too-human process.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
