unsteady

[uhn-sted-ee]

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.

verb (used with object)

unsteadied, unsteadying 

1. to make unsteady.

unsteady

/ 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

verb

1. (tr) to make unsteady

Other Word Forms

• unsteadily adverb
• unsteadiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unsteady¹

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

Synonym Study

See unsettled.

Example Sentences

For there, in the unsteady light, was Lord Fredrick Ashton himself, tangled in cobwebs that he tried in vain to bat away.

Read more on Literature

“You are not alone in thinking that from the outside, things look unsteady,” he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Along with others, I noticed his unsteady gait.

Read more on Salon

But missed paychecks, nationwide flight cancellations and other ramifications of the government shutdown have paved the way for an unsteady start to the month.

Read more on MarketWatch

She was allegedly observed to be hyperventilating, unsteady on her feet and smelling of alcohol, and was found with a small, unopened bottle of wine in her coat pocket.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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