reliable
Americanadjective
adjective
Related Words
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
- nonreliable adjective
- nonreliableness noun
- nonreliably adverb
- quasi-reliable adjective
- quasi-reliably adverb
- reliability noun
- reliableness noun
- reliably adverb
- ultrareliable adjective
- ultrareliablely adverb
Etymology
Origin of reliable
Compare meaning
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.
Rights groups including Amnesty International say Iran carries out the most executions of any nation worldwide per capita, and the most of any country other than China, for which no reliable data is available.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
The prize, then, for the company that is first to build a reliable quantum computer at scale is potentially enormous.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
“I just wanted to have a healthy, consistent, reliable year,” LaRavia said, “and I was able to make that happen.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
Many earlier studies rely on people recalling their past weight, which can be less reliable.
From Science Daily • Apr. 11, 2026
What makes it science is not that it provides an explanation but that it provides reliable predictions in the form of a mathematical model.
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.
