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:
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.
"AI tools aren't 100% reliable — they can fail in subtle ways and yet operators continue to over-trust them," she told NBC News last month.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
“If we can’t depend on reliable long-term snowpack and snowmelt later in the year, we’re going to have to do other things to make our water system more resilient.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
But I certainly expected reliable Wi-Fi, business-class seat or no, especially when there’s a charge for it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
One place investors can still find reliable payouts is real estate investment trusts.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
The first reliable edition of Galen, on which Vesalius had worked, appeared in Basle in 1538; it was there that Vesalius insisted that his Fabric should be printed.
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.
