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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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4
as in uneven
not staying constant
unsteady business conditions that rattled investors
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unsteady
But the rise of retail betting has been unsteady: 2025 totals so far are lower than the totals in 2023 for the same period.
—
Renata Daou, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2025
Slow and unsteady Karma: The Dark World is a slow game, both in its exposition and its occasionally frustrating slow walking speed.
—Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Her hands became too unsteady after 2000 to continue drawing.
—Hilarie M. Sheets, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Something long and meandering like this: For the next four years, the United States will be an unpredictable, unsteady global superpower run by a fascist oligarchy, in which the people’s representatives cater to a madman’s whim.
—Eli Grober, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsteady
Renata Daou, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2025
Slow and unsteady Karma: The Dark World is a slow game, both in its exposition and its occasionally frustrating slow walking speed.
—Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Her hands became too unsteady after 2000 to continue drawing.
—Hilarie M. Sheets, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Something long and meandering like this: For the next four years, the United States will be an unpredictable, unsteady global superpower run by a fascist oligarchy, in which the people’s representatives cater to a madman’s whim.
—Eli Grober, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsteady
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsteady
Adjective
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Though the May 31 eruption is the only one caught on official video, the USGS has received several reports of other sporadic eruptions over the past year.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
1 June 2025
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My spring crops were slow to develop this year, stifled by sporadic frosts and bouts of dry weather.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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The Behavioral Finance Connection When the market’s volatile, fear drives behavior.—
Meredith Moore,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
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The fire had to feel alive, volatile, and credible—a force the actors had to confront in real time.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Sitting places the glutes in a lengthened, inactive state that pushes the pelvis forward and puts the lower back at a painfully compressed, mechanical disadvantage, which in turn creates a posture that feels tight, stiff and unstable.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
30 May 2025
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The mountain side of the glacier had been unstable since last week, when millions of pounds of rock debris fell onto the glacier surface, Davies said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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Read More: The Healthiest Way to Clean Your House Check the base of the unit, too: Dirt can settle underneath, making the entire thing uneven, leading to performance issues and major repairs down the road, Drew says.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
3 June 2025
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The American game was largely insular, coaching education uneven, and infrastructure limited.—
Lee Igel,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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After intermittent closures last week, the intersection opened and the new signal system turned on Thursday.—
Kathryn Kovalenko,
Twin Cities,
6 June 2025
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While the tech industry is also using solar and wind power, their intermittent nature means stable electricity supplies generated by nuclear reactors — but also coal and natural gas — is in high demand.—
Bloomberg News,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Entrepreneurs who want to survive must meet our current reality by staying as flexible as the market is unpredictable.—
Cynthia Pong,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
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Nathan Howard | Reuters Taken from CNBC’s Daily Open, our international markets newsletter — Subscribe today Developments from the White House are growing more exciting and unpredictable than those 1,000-episode Asian drama serials.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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While a few breeds, such as the Turkish Van, are known to enjoy the occasional swim, the average house cat is famously water-averse.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
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Having the occasional treat or missing a workout is okay.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Hers is the kind of face that inspires directors to tight framing — gleaming, as if smoothed from marble, and yet somehow pliant, changeful.—
Jordan Kisner Jack Davison,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2022
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Rigorous, blustery winter; winding sleety spring; hot, moist enervating summer; changeful autumn with its dog-days; these are absolutely unknown.—
San Diego Union-Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Jan. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Unsteady.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsteady. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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