unbalanced
Americanadjective
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lacking steadiness and soundness of judgment.
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mentally disordered; deranged.
- Synonyms:
- irrational, unsound, disturbed
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(of an account) not adjusted; not brought to an equality of debits and credits.
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Football. of or relating to an offensive line formation having more than three linemen on one side of the center.
adjective
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lacking balance
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irrational or unsound; erratic
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mentally disordered or deranged
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biased; one-sided
unbalanced reporting
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(in double-entry book-keeping) not having total debit balances equal to total credit balances
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electronics (of signals or circuitry) not symmetrically disposed about earth or zero reference potential
Etymology
Origin of unbalanced
Explanation
When something is unbalanced, it's uneven or unstable. If your weight on a surfboard is unbalanced, you risk falling off. Things can be physically unbalanced, like a seesaw with only one kid on it, or more figuratively unbalanced. For example, your mom might think you have an unbalanced diet if you rarely eat vegetables, and you'd describe your high school education as unbalanced if you didn't take any math classes. Another way to be unbalanced is to be mentally ill or emotionally disturbed.
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.
"I feel like it's an unfair and unbalanced society at the moment," a woman tells me.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
And while there had been growth, it had been "unbalanced", he said, with around a third coming from the creation of artificial intelligence data centres.
From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026
By identifying a specific nitric oxide-TSC2-mTOR connection, the study offers a new framework for understanding how cellular signaling may become unbalanced in autism.
From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026
When their unbalanced lineup of basically three similar point guards have an off night, like against the Celtics, they’re lost.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2026
Kelsey raised her eyebrows, as though Ifemelu was one of those slightly unbalanced people who were best avoided.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
