unreliable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unreliable
Explanation
Someone unreliable can't be trusted to do something. Things can be unreliable too, like a bike with a wobbly wheel. The word "rely" is a clue to what unreliable means. When you can rely on something, you can count in it — it's reliable. On the other hand, you'd better not count on an unreliable person. People can be unreliable because they're dishonest, always late, bad at their job, or just inconsistent. Things can be unreliable because they're broken or old. A train schedule can be unreliable if the trains are never on time. Unfortunately, there's a lot of stuff in life that's unreliable, so be careful.
Vocabulary lists containing unreliable
STAAR English I: Elements of Literature
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STAAR English II: Elements of Literature 1
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Point of View
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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.
Certainly, the Chinese government has begun to use new sanctioning frameworks—including the Unreliable Entity List, the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, and an expanded export-control system—that mirror those used by the United States.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025
Not at all the imposter she labels herself in her new memoir "Unreliable Narrator."
From Salon • Oct. 1, 2023
Unreliable narrators continue to write women out of history, and it’s one of my goals to write them back in.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2023
Unreliable plans are platforms to talk about expectations, respect, limits, discretion, boundaries — when, where, how, and why to set them.
From Washington Post • Aug. 27, 2021
I found my wardrobe out there, as usual, with the Unreliable in it.
From The Wit and Humor of America, Volume X (of X) by Wilder, Marshall Pinckney
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.
