1
as in sporadic
lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence
a year of unsteady economic growth
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in volatile
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly
in the days of sailing ships, mariners were constantly at the mercy of unsteady winds
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3
as in unstable
not being in or able to maintain a state of balance
cautiously climbed up the unsteady ladder
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4
as in uneven
not staying constant
unsteady business conditions that rattled investors
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unsteady
Her hands became too unsteady after 2000 to continue drawing.
—
Hilarie M. Sheets, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Something long and meandering like this: For the next four years, the United States will be an unpredictable, unsteady global superpower run by a fascist oligarchy, in which the people’s representatives cater to a madman’s whim.
—Eli Grober, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
An unsteady job market has contributed to rising scrutiny around large corporations, also a driving theme of the season.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
Maybe not this exact scenario, but in that raw, unsteady place where your foundations—policies, people, structures—shift in an instant, leaving you lost and directionless.
—Lisa Hale, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsteady
Hilarie M. Sheets, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Something long and meandering like this: For the next four years, the United States will be an unpredictable, unsteady global superpower run by a fascist oligarchy, in which the people’s representatives cater to a madman’s whim.
—Eli Grober, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
An unsteady job market has contributed to rising scrutiny around large corporations, also a driving theme of the season.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
Maybe not this exact scenario, but in that raw, unsteady place where your foundations—policies, people, structures—shift in an instant, leaving you lost and directionless.
—Lisa Hale, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsteady
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsteady
Adjective
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Unfortunately, those days are more sporadic and like Hernandez, resembles little to the player who dragged Milan over the line three years ago to steal an unlikely league title.—
Emmet Gates,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
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Those moments have grown more sporadic in recent months, with Watkins no longer looked to as Villa’s key source of goals.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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Other big miners, including archrivals BHP, Anglo American and Glencore, have steered clear of lithium, am important metal in batteries, but one which is also abundantly available puts suffers from extremely volatile pricing.—
Tim Treadgold,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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Unlike traditional crypto payment providers that handle numerous volatile currencies, Coinsub Technology strategically specializes in stablecoins.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Stage 1: In this stage, inflammation, as well as loose or unstable joints, is present.—
Isabel Casimiro,
Verywell Health,
22 May 2025
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Unfortunately, modeling variations on this orbit through time indicated that 98 percent of them were unstable within 50 million years.—
John Timmer,
ArsTechnica,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Bread crumbs • Props to the hair, makeup, and costuming departments for differentiating Kiki’s Simone from pre-Michaela Simone, who showed up to the island with a scraggly ponytail, a gray button-down, uneven skin, and scrawled tattoos.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
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Read Next Boise & Garden City Boise River Greenbelt biker dies from head injuries after crashing on uneven pathway September 6, 2024 4:00 AM This story was originally published September 24, 2024 at 4:00 AM.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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The animators at Blur Studio employ a photo-realistic quality to their art, shading the characters in dramatic shadows and inserting intermittent patches of concentrated color that grab your visual attention and slingshot you through the rocketing narrative. 4.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
17 May 2025
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Please talk with your healthcare provider before trying 4:3 intermittent fasting.—
Brittany Lubeck,
Verywell Health,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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The Outlaw Music Festival touched down Thursday night on the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, California, and Bob Dylan once again delivered a wildly unpredictable set that stunned even his most hardcore fans.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
16 May 2025
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Another plus: The votes were completely unpredictable from week to week, leading to some truly crazy Tribals.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Others that have a small selling history and only a handful of items for sale at a time tend to be occasional sellers and wardrobe clearers.—
Benjamin Voyer,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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The audience is present in a politely distant but receptive way with shots from the back of their heads and an occasional darkened full-theater shot.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Hers is the kind of face that inspires directors to tight framing — gleaming, as if smoothed from marble, and yet somehow pliant, changeful.—
Jordan Kisner Jack Davison,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2022
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Rigorous, blustery winter; winding sleety spring; hot, moist enervating summer; changeful autumn with its dog-days; these are absolutely unknown.—
San Diego Union-Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Jan. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Unsteady.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsteady. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
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