UNRELIABLE Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

unreliable

adjective

Definition of unreliable

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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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 unreliable The ruler who turns to AI to reduce a dependence on unreliable humans may end up relying, more blindly than before, on the few AI specialists who keep the system running. — Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026 External signals can become unreliable when adversaries disrupt navigation or communications. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026 The Commanders need more from their defense, yet that unit has proved inconsistent and unreliable despite Quinn’s background as a defensive coordinator. — Mike Jones, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026 Driver is the unreliable but well-intentioned brother/uncle who gets them into this sordid mess. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unreliable

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unreliable

Adjective

Just as the industry began recovering from a multiyear freight slowdown, the administration began cracking down on immigrant drivers earlier this year, exacerbating the impact from the erratic tariff announcements.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Because China’s system is tightly controlled, its descent into personalistic one-man rule does not play out in divisive confrontations on television or erratic social media rants by the top leader.

— Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of erratic

Adjective

Atlanta scratched across three runs against a shaky Blake Snell and a parade of Dodgers relievers, while Ray Kerr and Didier Fuentes, among others, held the powerful LA lineup to just two.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
French budget crisis worsens amid student protests France could be on the precipice of a financial crisis, as escalating student protests roiled an already shaky bond market.

— Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of shaky

Adjective

Even the actors’ bodies exhibit the bland greige produced by the high dynamic range of digital cameras and are flattened by the inconsistent lighting that comes from overuse of green screens.

— Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
In Finance Give agentic AI fragmented data, inconsistent processes or unclear ownership, and those weaknesses become part of how the technology operates.

— Ari Widlansky, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of inconsistent

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

Definition of undependable

Adjective

These small transgressions added up to a sense of ourselves as special, exempt from the rules—but also disliked, distrusted, untrustworthy, apart.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Further, the firm’s rationale for ignoring the threat seemed untrustworthy.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of untrustworthy

Adjective

Conflict in mining regions, disputed licenses, slow permitting, and unpredictable enforcement have long deterred Western investors, while Chinese operators have been better able to absorb those risks.

— Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Long Tiddie Short Story is unmistakably her — honest, unpredictable and incredibly funny.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of unpredictable

Adjective

The researchers focused on volatile elements such as sodium, zinc and potassium, which evaporate easily at high temperatures.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Gonzales pointed to the volatile state budget’s dependence on tax revenue from wealthy Californians, some of whom have proactively moved out of the state because of the proposal.

— Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of volatile

Adjective

Climate scientists say as temperatures rise ⁠glaciers in the Himalayas retreat, leaving behind unstable glacial lakes held back by little more than loose rock and ice, above valleys home to millions.

— Reuters, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
Volcanoes National Park urged visitors to keep their distance from the unstable cliff edges to avoid putting themselves, or first responders, in danger.

— Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of unstable

Browse Nearby Words

unreliability

unreliable

unreluctant

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“Unreliable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unreliable. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unreliable

adjective

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