unsteady
[ uhn-sted-ee ]
/ ʌnˈstɛd i /
adjective
not steady or firm; unstable; shaky: an unsteady hand.
fluctuating or wavering: an unsteady flame; unsteady prices.
irregular or uneven: an unsteady development.
verb (used with object), un·stead·ied, un·stead·y·ing.
to make unsteady.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
SYNONYMS FOR unsteady
1 See unsettled.
2 vacillating, flickering.
Related formsun·stead·i·ly, adverbun·stead·i·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for unsteadily
British Dictionary definitions for unsteadily
unsteady
/ (ʌnˈstɛdɪ) /
adjective
not securely fixedan unsteady foothold
(of behaviour, etc) lacking constancy; erratic
without regularityan unsteady rhythm
(of a manner of walking, etc) precarious, staggering, as from intoxication
verb -steadies, -steadying or -steadied
(tr) to make unsteady
Derived Formsunsteadily, adverbunsteadiness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for unsteadily
unsteady
1590s, from un- (1) "not" + steady (adj.). Cf. Old Frisian unstadich, German unstätig, Middle Dutch onstadich.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper