as in instability
the quality or state of not being firmly fixed in position
blamed the poor quality of the video on the tripod's unsteadiness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in sporadic
lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence
a year of unsteady economic growth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unstable
not being in or able to maintain a state of balance
cautiously climbed up the unsteady ladder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in uneven
not staying constant
unsteady business conditions that rattled investors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unsteadiness
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
Not only that, but he was being fed an unsteady diet of cockroaches.
—Charlie Mason, TVLine, 4 May 2025
His unsteady performance has left markets lurching from one crisis to another, and his contempt for tradition continues to rattle both Washington institutionalists and Wall Street investors.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 30 Apr. 2025
But the rise of retail betting has been unsteady: 2025 totals so far are lower than the totals in 2023 for the same period.
—Renata Daou, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsteadiness
Adjective
It’s maintained an idiosyncratic spirit all along, combining references from across rock history—a Bob Dylan harmonica line here, a Cars synth line there—with lyrics that unspool in unsteady, careening cadences.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
Not only that, but he was being fed an unsteady diet of cockroaches.
—Charlie Mason, TVLine, 4 May 2025
His unsteady performance has left markets lurching from one crisis to another, and his contempt for tradition continues to rattle both Washington institutionalists and Wall Street investors.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 30 Apr. 2025
But the rise of retail betting has been unsteady: 2025 totals so far are lower than the totals in 2023 for the same period.
—Renata Daou, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsteadiness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsteadiness
Noun
-
Working-class wives work primarily for the money rather than career satisfaction; this results in more marital tension, which can fuel marital instability that spirals into yet more economic insecurity.—
Joan C. Williams
June 13,
Literary Hub,
13 June 2025
-
Yet Putin has organized Russia’s economy around the war effort and imposed draconian restrictions on civil society since 2022 — measures that will be difficult to change without risking internal instability, Western officials and observers suggest.—
Joel Gehrke,
The Washington Examiner,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
Iran needs nuclear energy to meet the demands of its growing population; sporadic blackouts are already commonplace.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
-
It’s sparked protests, vandalism and sporadic clashes with police that prompted President Trump to send military troops to downtown L.A., sparking questions over state rights.—
Libor Jany,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
But make no mistake: the situation remains extremely volatile.—
Robert Rapier,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
-
Instead of locking us into decades of volatile fossil fuel costs, Maryland should demand PJM approve the solar and storage projects already in their pipeline.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
15 June 2025
Adjective
-
Because the Sun’s magnetic field is especially unstable and dynamic near the solar poles, particularly the south pole, a good, hard look can pay dividends that will protect us here on Earth.—
David Szondy
June 15,
New Atlas,
15 June 2025
-
The lawsuit alleges Saffold was unstable during the procedure, and the anesthesiologist and nurse failed to give him proper medical intervention to save his life.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
Avoid wobbly or uneven fittings to keep everything centered.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 June 2025
-
That means Juno’s radio transmissions will experience the Doppler effect, where the wavelength shifts slightly in response to Io’s uneven gravitational field.—
Robin Andrews,
Wired News,
15 June 2025
Adjective
-
That amounts to success through delay—a repeatable outcome, sustained through intermittent precision attacks.—
David A. Deptula,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
Despite the relentless pre-match hype montages, intermittent deluges of FIFA self-congratulation and the blasting of Robbie Williams’ hilariously self-parodic tournament theme song at half-time.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
Adjective
-
Each response is a surprise, tapping into the psychological principle of intermittent reinforcement, famously demonstrated by psychologist B.F. Skinner, where unpredictable rewards significantly amplify behaviors, much like gambling addiction.—
Curt Steinhorst,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
-
The Big Apple is full of complex, unpredictable scenarios for the Waymo Driver software to handle: Jaywalking pedestrians, trucks parked in the street, complex intersections, heavy rains, and harsh winter weather, to name a few.—
Emily Forlini,
PC Magazine,
19 June 2025
Adjective
-
But such readings can hardly account for the urgency, and occasional stridency, of le Carré’s post-Cold War novels.—
Rav Grewal-Kök
June 16,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
-
Because geniuses tend not to specialize in things like picking up after themselves, the human price is often paid by a long-suffering partner-secretary—wifely figures like Véra Nabokov, Sophia Tolstoy, and Alice B. Toklas, or the occasional husband like Leonard Woolf.—
S. C. Cornell,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsteadiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsteadiness. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share