unsteady

American  

[uhn-sted-ee] / ʌnˈstɛd i /

adjective

1. not steady or firm; unstable; shaky.

   an unsteady hand.

2. fluctuating or wavering.

   an unsteady flame; unsteady prices.

   Synonyms:

   vacillating

3. irregular or uneven.

   an unsteady development.

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verb (used with object)

unsteadied, unsteadying

1. to make unsteady.

unsteady British  

/ ʌnˈstɛdɪ /

adjective

1. not securely fixed

   an unsteady foothold

2. (of behaviour, etc) lacking constancy; erratic

3. without regularity

   an unsteady rhythm

4. (of a manner of walking, etc) precarious, staggering, as from intoxication

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verb

1. (tr) to make unsteady

Related Words

See unsettled.

Other Word Forms

• unsteadily adverb
• unsteadiness noun

Etymology

Origin of unsteady

First recorded in 1525–35; un- ¹ + steady

Example Sentences

Yet they have to correct for a yearslong decline in employer response rates to BLS surveys—which does not negate the data overall, but certainly makes preliminary calculations a bit more unsteady and speculative.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

Her unsteady ascent toward womanhood coincides, hysterically, with the theater company’s descent into chaos.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

So why haven’t these headlines done more to calm an unsteady global oil market?

From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026

The 28-year-old beat the count but looked unsteady, and a sharp follow-up combination forced the referee to wave it off.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

After a time, they dug carefully to broaden the run and as the day wore on the does, each in turn, remained beside him, licking his wounds and listening to his low, unsteady breathing.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Related Words

• erratic
• groggy
• precarious
• rickety
• rocky
• unstable
• wobbly