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.
An unreliable electric grid is particularly problematic in the heat, because people blast their air conditioners and cause power usage to spike.
From Barron's • Jun. 30, 2026
Scheduling this service is especially important if your AC is old or unreliable, because the last thing you need is for it to give out during a heat wave.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 29, 2026
"I urge you to reject the evidence of him as wholly incredible and unreliable," he said.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
But the transactions were cumbersome, slow and unreliable, and Tehran often had to settle for the money staying abroad.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
Already he was starting to suffer from a shortage of breath, just as in his earlier days his lungs had been quite unreliable.
From "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka
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.
