as in erratic
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly
I wouldn't count on him to show up for the play—he's pretty unreliable. She drives her car locally, but worries it's too unreliable for longer trips.
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Recent Examples of unreliable
But of course these detection programs are also unreliable, and perhaps will never get any better.
—
James Folta, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Built for extreme environments The WP61 series is designed for situations where traditional mobile networks are unreliable or unavailable.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
The animals grow so slowly that such markers are unreliable.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
But the reality is that those trucks were uncomfortable, bouncy, unreliable horror shows of utilitarianism.
—New Atlas, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unreliable
James Folta, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Built for extreme environments The WP61 series is designed for situations where traditional mobile networks are unreliable or unavailable.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
The animals grow so slowly that such markers are unreliable.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
But the reality is that those trucks were uncomfortable, bouncy, unreliable horror shows of utilitarianism.
—New Atlas, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unreliable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unreliable
Adjective
-
While Boston shot 5-for-20 in the period, Atlanta went 13-for-19, including the second made three of the night from the typically erratic Dyson Daniels.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Two weeks later, the erratic nature of the Wild’s play and the outcomes haven’t changed.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Catcher Agustin Ramirez, who is working to improve defensively after a shaky rookie season, threw out one of two runners attempting to steal a base and went 2 for 3 challenging pitches behind the plate.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
-
This was the foundation on which my shaky sense of security was built—that my birth had changed everything.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
For the first half on Friday night, Angel City Football Club was turning in one of those inconsistent performances that Coach Alex Straus expected would happen this season with a young team.—
Damian Calhoun,
Daily News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
As is often the case for 23-year-olds pushed into large roles, Podziemski has been inconsistent.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And then there’s Kimberly’s home life, which features an emotionally and physically fragile mom preparing to give birth and an undependable alcoholic father.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Yasmin, who was ousted from Pierpoint after a tabloid scandal involving her publishing-magnate father threatened to sully the bank by association, has turned to another undependable man for salvation, proposing to an aristocratic failson called Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington).—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The conservative election group is advocating for paper ballots, saying Georgia’s voting machines are untrustworthy.—
Caleb Groves,
AJC.com,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Health officials, starting with Anthony Fauci, had been untrustworthy, self-interested, and aching for power.—
David Blumenthal,
STAT,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Prices are subject to rapid, unpredictable changes due to factors like, but not limited to, supply/demand, weather, and geopolitical events.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Air travelers are paying the price of the shutdown with unpredictable, snaking TSA lines at airports across the country, jeopardizing their chances to pass through security on time for their flights.—
Graham Hurley,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The comparison isn't perfect — stock data spans decades, while trends in trading card values are shorter and more volatile — but the outperformance in certain windows is still striking.—
Brandon Gomez,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
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These volatile, double-digit voting shifts directly contrast more stable voting patterns among other major demographic groups, including the Black and white electorates, where shifts from cycle to cycle tend to be just a few points.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Geopolitically, the world seems to be getting more unstable.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
How geopolitical risk remains a wildcard Gold has long been considered a safe-haven investment to turn to when the world feels unstable, but recent months have shown that relationship isn't always so simple.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unreliable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unreliable. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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