unsteady
Americanadjective
-
not steady or firm; unstable; shaky.
an unsteady hand.
-
fluctuating or wavering.
an unsteady flame; unsteady prices.
- Synonyms:
- vacillating
-
irregular or uneven.
an unsteady development.
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
not securely fixed
an unsteady foothold
-
(of behaviour, etc) lacking constancy; erratic
-
without regularity
an unsteady rhythm
-
(of a manner of walking, etc) precarious, staggering, as from intoxication
verb
Related Words
See unsettled.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unsteady
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.
Unsteady ground onscreen translated to surprises in the sound, such as Britell’s first use of a choir at the end of the season finale.
From New York Times • May 25, 2023
Unsteady on her feet, she avoids going out.
From New York Times • Apr. 3, 2023
Unsteady hands are the enemy of good smartphone photos, but you probably have what you need to fix them in the back of your desk drawer.
From Slate • Jan. 14, 2015
Unsteady of aim, he always missed, but such pastimes made daily life harrowing.
From Time Magazine Archive
Unsteady his steps were and slow, and he walked with a staff in his right hand, And white as the first-falling snow were the thin locks that lay on his shoulders.
From Legends of the Northwest by Gordon, Hanford Lennox
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.
