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reliable

[ri-lahy-uh-buhl]
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adjective
  1. that may be relied on or trusted; dependable in achievement, accuracy, honesty, etc.: reliable information.
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Origin of reliable

First recorded in 1560–70; rely + -able
Related formsre·li·a·bil·i·ty, re·li·a·ble·ness, nounre·li·a·bly, adverbnon·re·li·a·ble, adjectivenon·re·li·a·ble·ness, nounnon·re·li·a·bly, adverbqua·si-re·li·a·ble, adjectivequa·si-re·li·a·bly, adverbul·tra·re·li·a·ble, adjectiveul·tra·re·li·a·ble·ly, adverb

Synonyms for reliable

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trusty, authentic, consistent. 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.

Antonyms for reliable

undependable, questionable, deceitful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for reliable

good, solid, positive, sincere, safe, steady, honest, respectable, predictable, stable, dependable, decisive, strong, decent, true, candid, careful, certain, conscientious, constant

Examples from the Web for reliable

Contemporary Examples of reliable

Historical Examples of reliable

  • The backer was a reliable man and asked for a fair run for his money.

    Thoroughbreds

    W. A. Fraser

  • The bearers of the kitchen, who were also reliable travellers, set about the cook camp.

    The Leopard Woman

    Stewart Edward White

  • And Roland remained true—a reliable second string to Josie's bow.

    The Fortune Hunter

    Louis Joseph Vance

  • They were well built and reliable, so that the trade was pleased to stock and promote them.

  • He knows that if I am not very quick or brilliant I am fairly steady and reliable.

British Dictionary definitions for reliable

reliable

adjective
  1. able to be trusted; predictable or dependable
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Derived Formsreliability or rare reliableness, nounreliably, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for reliable

adj.

1560s, raliabill, Scottish; see rely + -able. Not common before 1850; and sometimes execrated thereafter in Britain as an Americanism because it involves a use of -able different from its use in provable, etc., but defended (by OED, Century Dictionary, etc.) on grounds of use of the suffix in available, laughable, etc.. Related: Reliably.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper