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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
The camera becomes unsteady and points toward the sky and then returns to the street view showing Good’s SUV careening away.
—
Rebecca Santana, Austin American Statesman, 9 Jan. 2026
The atmosphere in the courtroom was notably strange, somehow unsteady, as if gravity had been tampered with.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Williams, unfortunately, is so wrong-footed by the requirements of the period’s rhythms that her first heavily accented appearance, in a dockside saloon, is her most unsteady.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
Major apparel companies from American Eagle to Levi Strauss are in a race to corner that market, leaning on A-list celebrities like Sydney Sweeney and Beyonce to win over shoppers and drive sales in an unsteady economy.
—Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsteady
Rebecca Santana, Austin American Statesman, 9 Jan. 2026
The atmosphere in the courtroom was notably strange, somehow unsteady, as if gravity had been tampered with.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Williams, unfortunately, is so wrong-footed by the requirements of the period’s rhythms that her first heavily accented appearance, in a dockside saloon, is her most unsteady.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
Major apparel companies from American Eagle to Levi Strauss are in a race to corner that market, leaning on A-list celebrities like Sydney Sweeney and Beyonce to win over shoppers and drive sales in an unsteady economy.
—Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsteady
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsteady
Adjective
-
During Galliano’s tenure, Maison Margiela shows were sporadic.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
However, sporadic light supplementation means that adjusting fertilizer use is sensible if plant growth slows.—
Gemma Johnstone,
The Spruce,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
His Roc Nation entertainment company has partnered with the NFL to produce the Super Bowl Halftime Shows since 2019 and is responsible for the politically volatile but culturally momentous choice to bring Bad Bunny to the stage Sunday.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
8 Feb. 2026
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That also includes the lives of our officers when faced with armed juveniles in volatile situations.—
Ryan Murphy,
IndyStar,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This is clear on entry, as the exhibition floor itself is turned into a series of unstable ramps that rise and fall, echoing the references to the promises and disappointments of modern life that permeate the show.—
K. Desbouis,
Artforum,
6 Feb. 2026
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Like all successful paranoid art, the core of the story is unstable.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Despite substantial investment, outcomes remain uneven, and access to alternatives is often constrained by income.—
Carol Platt Liebau,
Hartford Courant,
5 Feb. 2026
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Bets on economic resilience have recently fueled gains in companies that tend to benefit from improving growth prospects, the latest data underscored the uneven labor market characterized by limited numbers of overall dismissals and lackluster hiring.—
Rita Nazareth,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In order to strengthen the grid as a result of the addition of intermittent renewables, Chinese authorities have also added utility-scale batteries to a subsidy program aimed at accelerating the green transition.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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Workers had begun a series of intermittent labor actions in September in protest of the lease, while lobbying groups have accused the port authority of hiking service charges to deliberately make the port’s operations look more profitable to DP World.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This delay has raised concerns about the safety of robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles operating in unpredictable environments.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
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This is ideal for decades of sliding across the ice, because bigger mineral grains are more likely to get plucked out by the ice, leaving holes in the surface that could cause unpredictable behavior.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In some studies, gloves not changed between tasks had higher bacterial counts and could transfer germs just as easily as ungloved hands, underscoring the need for frequent changing and proper hand hygiene.—
Evan Moore
December 19,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Scam centers proliferating as criminal gangs flout laws In Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, a failure to consistently enforce laws against human trafficking, labor abuses and criminal activities have allowed cyber-scam centers to flourish despite occasional crackdowns, the report noted.—
Elaine Kurtenbach,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
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While occasional scooting can happen, recurring episodes usually signal an underlying issue with anal glands.—
Kasey Caminiti,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unsteady.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsteady. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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