reliable

adjective

re·li·able | \ri-ˈlī-ə-bəl

Definition of reliable

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : suitable or fit to be relied on : dependable

2 : giving the same result on successive trials

reliable

noun

Definition of reliable (Entry 2 of 2)

: one that is reliable

Other Words from reliable Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about reliable

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Examples of reliable in a Sentence

Adjective

He's not very reliable. You can't always count on him to do what he says he'll do. We can't write a report without reliable data. We need more reliable information before we can take action.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

But district court records are less reliable in predicting Supreme Court behavior than are circuit court records. — Kevin Cope, Washington Post, "Exactly how conservative are the judges on Trump’s short list for the Supreme Court? Take a look at this one chart.," 7 July 2018 Many doctors are and will order tests for them, but often the tests aren’t reliable. — Cathy Cassata, Fox News, "This family learned tick bites can transmit more than Lyme disease," 23 June 2018 The outfield was also extremely reliable with Deisy Fortier Ardila, Abigail McCoy, Whitney Bacon, Rayonna Reaves, Victoria Sanchez-Benitez, Kebron Zeleke and Lisa Zhuang all holding things down. — Brent Kennedy, Howard County Times, "Howard County JV spring athletes earn their stripes," 5 June 2018 Free-agency isn’t reliable on a regular basis (particularly in smaller markets such as Charlotte) and NBA teams tend to overpay for free agents. — Rick Bonnell, charlotteobserver, "Could Charlotte Hornets get a top-5 pick for Kemba Walker? Reader questions answered," 29 May 2018 While the Implicit Association Test is the most widely used way of measuring ingrained prejudice, critics say its methodology — testing how quickly a user associates certain words with certain groups — may not be reliable. — NBC News, "How training doctors in implicit bias could save the lives of black mothers," 11 May 2018 The new median justice will be Chief Justice John Roberts, a mostly reliable conservative who has proven remarkably willing to overturn decades-old precedents. — Dylan Matthews, Vox, "America under Brett Kavanaugh," 11 July 2018 The senators are awaiting President Donald Trump’s pick Monday night for a new, ninth justice who could potentially tip the balance on key issues on a court with four reliable conservatives and four liberals. — Christopher Keating, courant.com, "Blumenthal, Murphy Highly Concerned About Trump's Supreme Court Pick," 9 July 2018 Studies have shown that spending time in nature is a reliable stress reliever. — Barbara Brody, Health.com, "7 Self-Care Tips That Will Make You Happier This Summer," 5 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The general public now, however, would see Mr. Trump’s generals as the reliables, the dependables, the sophisticates of the administration. — Peggy Noonan, WSJ, "Let Calm and Cool Trump ‘Fire and Fury’," 10 Aug. 2017 North Korea's weekend launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile further demonstrated that the country is consistently trying to come up with new, better ways to keep its nuclear deterrent reliable and safe from attack. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "What's Different About North Korea's Latest Missile Test," 13 Feb. 2017 Also submitted for our hilarity are such reliables as the pot-smoking old lady and the elaborate cake that will never reach the finale intact. — Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, "Review: At ‘Table 19,’ Random Wedding Guests Straining to Laugh," 2 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reliable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.