unsteady

[ uhn-sted-ee ]

/ ʌnˈstɛd i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unsteady ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

Origin of unsteady

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

SYNONYMS FOR unsteady

1 See unsettled.

2 vacillating, flickering.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unsteady ON THESAURUS.COM

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 unsteady

He discovered his friend—the worse for wear and unsteady on her feet—in the second-floor living room.
‘I Saved My Friend From Bill Cosby’|Lloyd Grove|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You stand on an unsteady pontoon bridge spanning the Tigris River in a township called Adh Dhouloueya.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq|Nathan Bradley Bethea|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Besides worrying about how the models would walk on the unsteady ground, audience members knew something magical would happen.
Phillip Lim's Force of Nature|Erin Cunningham|September 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It is impossible to letter well in a cramped or unsteady position.
Letters and Lettering|Frank Chouteau Brown

It has no part to unsteady the hands of the reconstructionists.
The Hive|Will Levington Comfort
She opened the door of her bedroom with hasty, unsteady fingers.
The Gambler|Katherine Cecil Thurston
We have an unsteady and unreliable population; and the daily interior guard duty, for the city proper, requires over 300 men.
Reports of the Committee on the Conduct of the War|United States Senate
Nancy lowered her voice mysteriously, and looked back into the little room where Vanna's unsteady figure moved from bed to chair.
Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves: Volume IV, Georgia Narratives, Part 1|Work Projects Administration

British Dictionary definitions for unsteady

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for unsteady

unsteady

adj.

1590s, from un- (1) "not" + steady (adj.). Cf. Old Frisian unstadich, German unstätig, Middle Dutch onstadich.

unsteady

adjective

verb (used with object), un·stead·ied, un·stead·y·ing.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of unsteady

Examples from the Web for unsteady

British Dictionary definitions for unsteady

unsteady

adjective

verb -steadies, -steadying or -steadied

Word Origin and History for unsteady

unsteady