unreliable

[ uhn-ri-lahy-uh-buhl ]

/ ˌʌn rɪˈlaɪ ə bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unreliable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not reliable; not to be relied or depended on.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

unregistered, unregulated, unrehearsed, unrelated, unrelenting, unreliable, unreligious, unremarkable, unremitted, unremittedly, unremittent

Origin of unreliable

First recorded in 1830–40; un-¹ + reliable

SYNONYMS FOR unreliable

undependable, irresponsible, untrustworthy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unreliable ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

un·re·li·a·bil·i·ty, un·re·li·a·ble·ness, nounun·re·li·a·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unreliability

Tom LeClair on a confusing mix of neuroscience, George W. Bush, and unreliability.
The Brain Man: What is E. L. Doctorow Up to?|Tom LeClair|January 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The 2012 unilateral operation against bin Laden was the right call given the unreliability of our Pakistani ally.
The Essential Spy Guide|Henry A. Crumpton|May 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
These gave the horse the reputation of capriciousness and unreliability.
Clever Hans|Oskar Pfungst
Perhaps it was because of their unreliability that an attack made upon the 18th of July was not an entire success.
The Career of Leonard Wood|Joseph Hamblen Sears

The unreliability of Lieut. Haskell as a writer of military matters was equaled only by the egotism of the youthful Lieutenant.
Reply of the Philadelphia Brigade Association to the Foolish and Absurd Narrative of Lieutenant Frank A. Haskell|Various
The failures that Aristotle himself so often exhibits are no proof of its unreliability, but rather of its trustworthiness.
History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science|John William Draper
He had had bitter experience of the cruelty and unreliability of the Indians in 1779 but had to go with them in 1780.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 5, 1920|Various

British Dictionary definitions for unreliability

unreliable

/ (ˌʌnrɪˈlaɪəbəl) /

adjective

not reliable; untrustworthyan unreliable witness

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