unsteady

²unsteady

adj

Definition of UNSTEADY

: not steady: as a : not firm or solid : not fixed in position : unstable b : marked by change or fluctuation : changeable c : not uniform or even : irregular <an unsteady pulse>

— un·stead·i·ly \-ˈste-də-lē\ adverb

— un·stead·i·ness \-ˈste-dē-nəs\ noun

Examples of UNSTEADY

1. He was a little unsteady on his feet.
2. The horse walked with an unsteady gait.
3. He signed his name with an unsteady hand.
4. The progress of the work has been unsteady.
5. a period of unsteady growth

First Known Use of UNSTEADY

1551

Related to UNSTEADY

Synonyms: aperiodic, casual, catchy, choppy, discontinuous, episodic (also episodical), erratic, intermittent, irregular, occasional, spasmodic, spastic, sporadic, spotty, fitful

Antonyms: constant, continuous, habitual, periodic, regular, repeated, steady

Related Words: convulsive, sudden, violent; broken, disconnected, fragmentary, interrupted; aimless, arbitrary, desultory, haphazard, hit-and-miss, hit-or-miss, odd, random, scattered, slapdash, stray; capricious, changeful, changing, flickery, fluctuating, fluid, inconstant, mercurial, mutable, temperamental, uncertain, unpredictable, unsettled, unstable, varying, wavering; changeable, fickle, variable, volatile

Near Antonyms: changeless, equable, even, stable, stationary, uniform; unchanging, unvarying, unwavering; methodical (also methodic), orderly, systematic; unrelenting, unremitting

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Rhymes with UNSTEADY

go steady