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:
The talks also come at an unsteady time for the world's second-largest economy, which has struggled to address persistently sluggish domestic spending and a protracted crisis in the crucial property sector.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
She left to go home at about 22:30 and was seen to be unsteady on her feet.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Any influence Laura Overdeck gains at Two Sigma could upset the delicate and unsteady power arrangement between the firm’s founders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 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
Ben awoke and heard the unsteady voice of his father raised in a song that in the history of late-night homecomings was a traditional chant of warning.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
From oil prices to regional alliances, the six-month-old conflict has defied expectations and unsteadied the global balance of power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
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
My heart, burning in grief, has been unsteadied!
From The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3 Books 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 by Kisari Mohan Ganguli
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
Now she looked at him rather quizzically, though her young eyes reflected something of his own unsteadying embarrassment.
From Captivating Mary Carstairs by Raymond Moreau Crosby
It was not more contemptuous, nor less; but something about it was unsteadying.
From Red Fleece by Will Levington Comfort
It was going to be more unsteadying than she had foreseen.
From Far to Seek A Romance of England and India by Maud Diver
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