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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And while sporadic outbreaks have occurred since 2000, recent case counts are nothing compared with the 27,000 cases reported in 1990 or the 450,000 cases reported in 1964.—
Joe Murphy,
NBC news,
8 May 2025
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Since then, his sporadic public appearances have only fueled more discussion online about his well being.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Some of the problems are caused by a volatile economic landscape.—
Jack Kelly,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2025
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Trump’s supporters are grasping for justifications for a volatile stock market and looming price increases.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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If parts would collapse in real life, the system identifies the first unstable brick and backtracks, removing it and all subsequent bricks before trying a different approach.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
9 May 2025
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The team calculated that a magnetar's giant flare could create the right conditions for r-process elements to form, producing highly unstable radioactive nuclei that decay into stable heavy elements such as gold.—
Victoria Corless,
Space.com,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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John’s piano and vocals, thankfully, were front and center, and did not suffer from uneven mixing.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 May 2025
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For instance, the automaker heard customers say the cup holders were hard to use because the front console was uneven and the cup holders weren’t flexible enough to hold different sizes and types of vessels.—
Kristin Shaw,
Forbes.com,
8 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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Goygol includes 65,000 residents, prim parks, tall pines and occasional Tyrolean architecture.—
Tom Mullen,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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With some occasional help from the Rockies, who committed three errors and one big mental mistake, the Padres (24-13) scored in five different innings.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 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 21 May. 2025.
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