UNSTEADY Synonyms: 148 Similar and Opposite Words

unsteady

adjective

Definition of unsteady

as in sporadic

lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence a year of unsteady economic growth

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in unstable

not being in or able to maintain a state of balance cautiously climbed up the unsteady ladder

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in uneven

not staying constant unsteady business conditions that rattled investors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 unsteady But as Saint Laurent begins to make his unsteady way out of the banquet hall, Bergé rushes to his side, to help him. — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026 For a person who already feels unsteady, that familiar routine can become stressful. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026 Joshua was knocked down twice in the first round and looked unsteady on his feet after the first knockdown some 30 seconds into the fight. — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 25 July 2026 Early reviews said that House of the Dragon was at the top of its game in season 3, after a periodically unsteady run before that. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for unsteady

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsteady

Adjective

Bahrain and Kuwait, which have continued to face sporadic Iranian attacks, will have the lowest staffing of the Gulf embassies, with three-quarters of Foreign Service members returning.

— Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Attacks on Kenscoff have escalated The first major attack on Kenscoff occurred in January 2025, and since then, there have been sporadic attacks in the mountains surrounding the city center.

— Pierre-Richard Luxama, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of sporadic

Adjective

Dado Ruvic | Reuters Bitcoin headed for its third straight winning week, as traders searched for refuge amid volatile moves in equities, currencies and bond markets.

— Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
That meant trade reporting on the tape often ran late, sometimes hours late during a volatile market or big sell-off.

— Brian Lund, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of volatile

Adjective

Risk assessments should examine where a river bends, where slopes are unstable and where a single failure could cut off several communities.

— Victoria Milko, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Significant political risk remains due to Venezuela's unstable government and historical tendency to renege on oil agreements.

— Michael Lynch, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of unstable

Adjective

That is an unusually light amount of in-game preparation for a second-year quarterback learning a new offense, especially since Dart and the offense have had an uneven summer at best.

— Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 29 Aug. 2026
Together, these findings pointed to uneven conditions beneath the road.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of uneven

Adjective

With intermittent rain in the forecast over the next week, some sessions could be rescheduled or delayed for hours, corralling fans and shortening the time players have to recover for their next round.

— Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
The project is designed to turn intermittent solar generation into a more dependable power source.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of intermittent

Adjective

The difference is not the map, but how changing conditions are interpreted along the way.

— Alex Shahidi, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of changing

Adjective

There are occasional non-permanent exhibitions relating to architecture and design.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026
Their Conan is the host for the Oscars, a podcast host, a voice in Toy Story 5, a world traveler, an occasional actor, and many other things.

— Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of occasional

Browse Nearby Words

unsteadiness

unsteady

unsterile

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“Unsteady.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsteady. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of unsteady

adjective

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