unreliable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unreliable
Explanation
Someone unreliable can't be trusted to do something. Things can be unreliable too, like a bike with a wobbly wheel. The word "rely" is a clue to what unreliable means. When you can rely on something, you can count in it — it's reliable. On the other hand, you'd better not count on an unreliable person. People can be unreliable because they're dishonest, always late, bad at their job, or just inconsistent. Things can be unreliable because they're broken or old. A train schedule can be unreliable if the trains are never on time. Unfortunately, there's a lot of stuff in life that's unreliable, so be careful.
Vocabulary lists containing unreliable
STAAR English I: Elements of Literature
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STAAR English II: Elements of Literature 1
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Point of View
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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.
How do journalists report on a war when they become victims of the violence, and when their proximity to the conflict is used to paint them as unreliable witnesses?
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2026
It has become more erratic and unreliable since the pandemic, at least on first read.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
Mr. de la Bédoyère notes, in his typical way, that many biographies of emperors of this era “are blurred and unreliable pastiches of their reigns.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
These methods can become unreliable when measurements contain noise, and they often require substantial processing resources.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
“That’s unacceptable. You’re the ones who sent the postcard and you must have known how unreliable the mail is. I insist on speaking with my sister.”
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
