unreliable

[ uhn-ri-lahy-uh-buhl ]

adjective

1. not reliable; not to be relied or depended on.

   Synonyms: untrustworthy, undependable, irresponsible

unreliable

/ ˌʌnrɪˈlaɪəbəl /

adjective

1. not reliable; untrustworthy

   an unreliable witness

Other Words From

• unre·lia·bili·ty unre·lia·ble·ness noun
• unre·lia·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unreliable¹

First recorded in 1830–40; un- ¹ + reliable

Example Sentences

For Miller, those differing adjustments cause lots of variability both across different polls, and even in the same surveys over time, rendering them highly unreliable guides to which candidates lead or trail by what margin.

From Fortune

Right now, facial recognition is considered too unreliable to be used as evidence anywhere.

From Popular-Science

However, strict browser privacy settings and AdBlocks have made this method increasingly unreliable.

From Search Engine Watch

Self-reported measures of alcohol and cigarette consumption can be unreliable.

From Vox

Although accuracy increases in the weeks after infection, many of the early antibody tests were inconsistent and unreliable.

From Popular-Science

Could you talk a minute about the notion of being an unreliable narrator?

From The Daily Beast

But Winter is dead, Clapton is tired of life on the road, and King unreliable in concert.

From The Daily Beast

The results played right into the hands of those who wanted to portray the opposition as unreliable.

From The Daily Beast

Excerpts of his video statements fill the highlight reels when unreliable confessions are the subject of TV programs.

From The Daily Beast

The reports are often unreliable, however, leading to confusion.

From The Daily Beast

They were utterly unreliable, yet their tale-bearing in Delhi might bring instant disaster to Malcolm and his native comrade.

From Project Gutenberg

But that man E., whom I found living in the same house with Nold, impressed me as rather unreliable.

From Project Gutenberg

She arrived, indeed, with lungs fairly collapsed and her heart entirely unreliable.

From Project Gutenberg

Abner Levens was locked in the unreliable jail of Coldriver village, and a watch placed over him.

From Project Gutenberg

But an unreliable boy at our school matched this history from the unwritten archives of his vulgar relatives.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• capricious
• deceptive
• dubious
• false
• fickle
• inaccurate
• irresponsible
• treacherous
• tricky
• uncertain
• unsound
• unstable
• untrustworthy