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
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Recent Examples of unreliable
Consumers are increasingly turning to cyberspace for guidance about health and medicine, yet a growing number of sites offer unreliable information, new research shows.
—
Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Renewable energy is neither unreliable nor unaffordable.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026
But what about unreliable heroes?
—John Hopewell, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
Because we're deemed an unreliable supplier.
—Drew Hawkins, NPR, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unreliable
Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Renewable energy is neither unreliable nor unaffordable.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026
But what about unreliable heroes?
—John Hopewell, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
Because we're deemed an unreliable supplier.
—Drew Hawkins, NPR, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unreliable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unreliable
Adjective
-
By the time officers arrived, the situation had escalated into what officials described as an active shooter incident, with the suspect walking down the middle of Memorial Drive and firing in an erratic manner as traffic came to a halt.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
12 May 2026
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In a video about an erratic Uber driver, a recognizable dynamic—awkward small talk, impatience to set off—escalates into a life-threatening one.—
Alex Barasch,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
Votes are still being counted, but heavy losses for Labour are expected to raise questions about Prime Minister Keir Starmer's already shaky leadership.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
-
And their partnership at Denver’s mast started off on shaky ground, with Paton coming off a rocky first two seasons with the Broncos.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
When that early foundation is delayed or inconsistent, the effects don’t stay confined to those first years.—
Tina Dello Russo,
Boston Herald,
10 May 2026
-
Why is the team suddenly playing stellar defense, after inconsistent performances all season?—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
10 May 2026
Adjective
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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
Adjective
-
In classical Athens the playwright Aristophanes attacked purveyors of knowledge for being intellectually untrustworthy, essentially deceitful.—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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On the other hand, some types of sources such as public relations are rated as untrustworthy in general.—
Florian Wintterlin,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Intercepting Mach 5 hypersonic weapons in space Hypersonic weapons, traveling at speeds of Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) and above with unpredictable maneuvers, pose significant challenges to traditional missile defenses.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
12 May 2026
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Prices are subject to rapid, unpredictable changes due to factors like, but not limited to, supply/demand, weather, and geopolitical events.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
Outperformance in the next decade won’t come from lower costs, but instead from the ability to keep operating when markets turn volatile.—
Victor Nian,
Fortune,
10 May 2026
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It’s destined to be remembered as one of the most volatile and surprising political contests modern-day California has ever seen.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Adjective
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An unstable ice block delayed Mount Everest’s climbing season until late April, yet around 464 climbers and their guides remain determined despite the danger and soaring permit costs.—
Binaj Gurubacharya,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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While mixtures of two or three metals were messy and unstable, the five-metal combination paradoxically self-organized into a single, uniform product, streamlining 31 possible chemical outcomes into a single, precise nanocrystal.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unreliable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unreliable. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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