unsteady

¹un·steady

transitive verb \ˌən-ˈste-dē\

Definition of UNSTEADY

: to make unsteady

First Known Use of UNSTEADY

1532

Rhymes with UNSTEADY

already, go steady, makeready

²unsteady

adjective

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

Rhymes with UNSTEADY

go steady