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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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
Lombardo Palacios confessed to murder following hours of interrogation that employed pressure tactics many experts now say are unreliable.
—
Hunter Clauss, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024
Election simulations won’t tell you much, either If individual polls are unreliable, what about polling aggregators?
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 31 Oct. 2024
Multiple critics objected to the latter option on the grounds that popular opinion was notoriously unreliable.
—Joseph J. Ellis, The Mercury News, 31 Oct. 2024
For both parties, young adults are an appealing, if unreliable demographic.
—Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unreliable 
Hunter Clauss, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024
Election simulations won’t tell you much, either If individual polls are unreliable, what about polling aggregators?
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 31 Oct. 2024
Multiple critics objected to the latter option on the grounds that popular opinion was notoriously unreliable.
—Joseph J. Ellis, The Mercury News, 31 Oct. 2024
For both parties, young adults are an appealing, if unreliable demographic.
—Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unreliable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unreliable
Adjective
-
Notorious for his fiery personality and erratic behavior, Steinbrenner replaced his managers 20 times in his first 23 seasons—firing and then rehiring Billy Martin five times—and changed publicity directors 13 times in 26 years, according to Sports Illustrated.Justin Birnbaum, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
-
The bottom line: As Election Day nears, Trump has not tapered his off-script controversial comments — rather, his language has grown more erratic and hyperbolic.Avery Lotz, Axios, 20 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
But Baltimore’s pass defense has been shaky, which should provide hope for the Broncos.Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 3 Nov. 2024
-
Other companies in the industrial gas space have a shakier track record at this, especially for clean hydrogen projects.Jeff Marks, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Loomer has cast doubt on his ability to appeal to true conservatives, referring to his policy positions as inconsistent with the MAGA agenda and his historical ties to the Democratic Party.David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
-
This, Westcott told jurors, is inconsistent with Allen's actual behaviors during sessions with Wala.Ron Wilkins, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Food, water and other resources would have to be shipped from home, at distances that make the supply frighteningly undependable.Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
-
With fueling so expensive and stations so undependable, Kiskis — who lives in Pacific Palisades and works at Google in Playa Vista — drives a gasoline Jeep for everything but short trips around the neighborhood.Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2024
Adjective
-
With both stars being notoriously untrustworthy, the glue that held them together was their friendship with Cody Rhodes.Blake Oestriecher, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
-
There are whistle-blowers who are perhaps a little too fond of the drink and thus possibly untrustworthy.Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 25 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
But Bird belongs to Bailey, and to first-timer Adams, who does a winning job of being unpredictable herself, even if the film would be better off delving deeper into one of the relationships in her life rather than dipping into all of them in turn.Alison Willmore, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
-
The post-election dynamic is reminiscent of a famous gathering of tech titans at Trump Tower in December 2016, a month after Trump’s first upset win in a presidential race, when some of the same executives braced themselves for unpredictable policy shifts.David Ingram, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Over the past four years, Bitcoin has been extremely volatile, as shown by the 2022 collapse of the crypto giant FTX.Deena Zaidi, Quartz, 13 Nov. 2024
-
By investing in these areas now, businesses are laying the groundwork for long-term success in an increasingly volatile and complex global environment beyond today’s election.Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Harris has leaned heavily on presenting Trump as unstable, unhinged, and dictatorial in the final weeks of the campaign.W. James Antle III, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 5 Nov. 2024
-
In the past, recruiters have discouraged workers from job-hopping because it was looked upon as unstable and irresponsible.Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near unreliable
Cite this Entry
“Unreliable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unreliable. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share