unsteady
Americanadjective
-
not steady or firm; unstable; shaky.
an unsteady hand.
-
fluctuating or wavering.
an unsteady flame; unsteady prices.
- Synonyms:
- vacillating
-
irregular or uneven.
an unsteady development.
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
not securely fixed
an unsteady foothold
-
(of behaviour, etc) lacking constancy; erratic
-
without regularity
an unsteady rhythm
-
(of a manner of walking, etc) precarious, staggering, as from intoxication
verb
Synonym Usage
See unsettled.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unsteady
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.
See Examples For:
While leading the game 2-1, Scotland's Menzies stepped away from the oche and appeared unsteady on his feet as England's Smith and the referee guided him safely off stage.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Aigul Khismatullina, Queen of the Night, impresses with the silvery pricks of her high notes, while Kwangchul Youn’s Sarastro, unsteady in middle register, takes on weight at the bottom of his bass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
“I think it’s a really good question,” said George Schultze, founder and CEO of Schultze Asset Management, when asked about the threat that an increasingly unsteady bond market might pose to stocks.
From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026
Inner-ear problems can also affect balance, and if someone is feeling dizzy or unsteady, they are likely to walk slower.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
“They get confused easily. They’re also prone to dizziness, unsteady balance, nausea. Vertigo. Their ears are sensitive, and too much noise causes the vertigo.”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
The challenge will be not getting unsteadied by meticulously curated opposing pitching plans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2024
I breathed out, took my foot off the gas, and the car quivered, unsteadied.
From The Verge ● Feb. 9, 2016
At the same time, he knows what it’s like to be unsteadied by professional disappointment – and, worse, to be toppled, outright, by personal tragedy.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 18, 2015
The room seems unsteadied by von Storch's ambition.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 27, 2010
The courage and control of it unsteadied him more than any passionate protest.
From Far to Seek A Romance of England and India by Maud Diver
Volckmer has said the subheading was kept off the cover “as a surprise” – making it the first of many unsteadying gear shifts in a monologue that sets out to unsettle.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 3, 2020
It is deeply unsteadying to ponder the possibility that Riefenstahl might have been both a considerable artist and a considerable Nazi.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 19, 2015
Undoubtedly there was a sinking feeling within her, unsteadying in its way.
From V. V.'s Eyes by Henry Sydnor Harrison
In fact we usually attribute the smallness of his scores to its unsteadying effect.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 159, July 14th, 1920 by Various
They took their seats, and at last he freed himself from the unsteadying embarrassment which had shaken him at the first sight of her under the brilliant lights of the ballroom.
From Queed by Raymond Moreau Crosby
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.
