unbalanced

[uhn-bal-uhnst]

See more synonyms for unbalanced on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not balanced or not properly balanced.
lacking steadiness and soundness of judgment.
mentally disordered; deranged.

(of an account) not adjusted; not brought to an equality of debits and credits.
Football. of or relating to an offensive line formation having more than three linemen on one side of the center.Compare balanced(def 2).

Origin of unbalanced

First recorded in 1640–50; un-¹ + balanced

Synonyms for unbalanced

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3. disturbed, unsound, irrational.

unbalance

[uhn-bal-uh ns]

verb (used with object), un·bal·anced, un·bal·anc·ing.

to throw or put out of balance.
to disorder or derange, as the mind.

noun

unbalanced condition.

Origin of unbalance

First recorded in 1580–90; un-² + balance

Related formsun·bal·ance·a·ble, adjective

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

Related Words for unbalanced

top-heavy, uneven, unequal, irregular, unstable, wobbly, lopsided, unsteady, unhinged, irrational, unsound, deranged, erratic, troubled, touched, asymmetrical, disproportionate, off-balance, shaky, treacherous

Examples from the Web for unbalanced

Contemporary Examples of unbalanced

In Rwanda, an unbalanced ratio leaves 83 of every 100 citizens dependent on the leftover 17 for survival.
After the Genocide, Rwanda’s Widows Aging Alone
Nina Strochlic
August 31, 2014
But he neither liked nor trusted Governor La Follette, whom he regarded as unbalanced and dangerous to the Republican Party.
The GOP’s Last Identity Crisis Remade U.S. Politics
Michael Wolraich
July 24, 2014
Bob Smith: unbalanced, inconstant, and even more of a carpetbagger than the other guy.
Sen. Bob Smith: The Thing That Wouldn’t Leave
Michelle Cottle
December 4, 2013
The important challenge is to correct for the unbalanced and unfair nature of this exchange.
Obama and Felipe Calderón Blow Chance to Talk Substance at G-20
John M. Ackerman
June 21, 2012
He has never voted to raise taxes; he has never voted to approve an unbalanced budget.
Beware Ron Paul
Mark McKinnon
July 13, 2011

Historical Examples of unbalanced

I thought only of myself, and I behaved like a whining, unbalanced boy.
The Gentleman From Indiana
Booth Tarkington
You may say that Robespierre was morbid and unbalanced, and you may say the same of Bunyan.
Alarms and Discursions
G. K. Chesterton
Had the strain of the past few weeks unbalanced the professors mind?
Spawn of the Comet
Harold Thompson Rich
Unbalanced by the shove, he stumbled over the Apache whom he had knocked senseless.
Bloom of Cactus
Robert Ames Bennet
It lifted Uncle Jabez from his seat, and unbalanced the boat.
Ruth Fielding and the Gypsies
Alice B. Emerson

British Dictionary definitions for unbalanced

unbalanced

adjective

lacking balance
irrational or unsound; erratic
mentally disordered or deranged
biased; one-sidedunbalanced reporting
(in double-entry book-keeping) not having total debit balances equal to total credit balances
electronics (of signals or circuitry) not symmetrically disposed about earth or zero reference potential

unbalance

verb (tr)

to upset the equilibrium or balance of
to disturb the mental stability of (a person or his mind)

noun

imbalance or instability

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 unbalanced

adj.

1640s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of balance. Earliest use is in reference to the mind, judgment, etc. Of material things, it is recorded from 1732.