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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unsteady
These lakes can exist behind unsteady dams made of ice or bedrock, and when these dams fail, the water rushes out, often resulting in catastrophic downstream flooding.
—
Doyle Rice, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
But the existing options have continued to be unsteady.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2025
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw two touchdown passes in his first NFL preseason game Friday night, shocking many fans after an unsteady start to his NFL career.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2025
The Dolphins also didn’t invest in a safety turning 29 this season who is coming off an unsteady year or two in Pittsburgh.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsteady
Doyle Rice, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
But the existing options have continued to be unsteady.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2025
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw two touchdown passes in his first NFL preseason game Friday night, shocking many fans after an unsteady start to his NFL career.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2025
The Dolphins also didn’t invest in a safety turning 29 this season who is coming off an unsteady year or two in Pittsburgh.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsteady
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsteady
Adjective
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Kiir and Machar had served in a unity government as part of a peace deal that ended the civil war, but their partnership remained tenuous and sporadic violence has continued between the two sides.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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If done right, rather than being a sporadic on-again, off-again (and, perhaps, threatening) part of workplace life, change will be embraced as a foundational attribute of your organization’s entrepreneurial culture.—
Julia Dhar,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Yet last week’s warning from Jet2, a business respected for its cost control and excellent customer service, has served as a reminder that, for all the impressive growth of recent years, this remains a volatile and sometimes unpredictable sector.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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While any single month can be volatile and revisions can further change our understanding, hiring ground to a halt in May and June in the uncertain aftermath of the Liberation Day tariff announcements.—
Jeffrey Schulze,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Interest generally petered off after Boelter’s unstable condition came to light, as his murders appeared to lack a partisan motivation.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
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Chen has participated in both the supplier and wholesale sides of the alcoholic beverage three-tier system during his career and has witnessed the data discrepancy pain points under unstable policy change and nuanced market data in both segments.—
Nish Acharya,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Conventional cooling systems often rely on cold plates that offer indirect contact with battery cells, which can result in uneven temperature distribution.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
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Polishing and setting diamonds on uneven surfaces is a rare skill and Chopard does it all in-house.—
Thomas Waller,
Footwear News,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In some cases, this even results in no weight loss during intermittent fasting, and instead to muscle loss and fat buildup.—
Frederik Jötten,
Scientific American,
12 Sep. 2025
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What's more, intermittent fasting (which has been shown to alleviate some symptoms of Alzheimer's disease), following a period of eating a high-fat diet was also enough of an intervention to restore normal activity to the CCK interneurons.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Charleston’s unpredictable climate means summer can stretch well into October, then randomly resurface in January.—
Jenn Rice,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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With recent polls showing Mamdani leading his rivals by double digits, the intersection of Hochul’s pragmatism, Mamdani’s outreach, and the powerful symbolism of their evolving relationship promises a uniquely unpredictable contest for New York’s future.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In August 2023, Perez – a tourism official who manages the island’s biggest concert venue, the Coliseo – got a phone call from two producers for Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, the genre-bending Puerto Rican rapper, singer, actor and occasional professional wrestler better known as Bad Bunny.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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About the series This is the second this year in an occasional series on 2025 winners of the annual WaterSmart Landscape Contest, conducted in partnership with the San Diego County Water Authority.—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Unsteady.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsteady. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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