Unsteady

Definition: Unsteady

Unsteady

Adjective

1. Subject to change or variation especially in behavior; "her unsteady walk"; "his hand was unsteady as he poured the wine"; "an unsteady voice".

2. Not having a steady rhythm; "an arrhythmic heartbeat".

3. Not firmly or solidly positioned; "climbing carefully up the unsteady ladder"; "an unfirm stance".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "unsteady" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references)

Finance

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Unsteady

Changeableness

Unstaid, inconstant; unsteady, unstable, unfixed, unsettled; fluctuating; Verb: restless; agitated; erratic, fickle; irresolute; capricious; touch and go; inconsonant, fitful, spasmodic; vibratory; vagrant, wayward; desultory; afloat; alternating; alterable, plastic, mobile; transient; wavering.

Danger

Tottering; unstable, unsteady; shaky, top-heavy, tumbledown, ramshackle, crumbling, waterlogged; helpless, guideless; in a bad way; reduced to the last extremity, at the last extremity; trembling in the balance; nodding to its fall; (destruction). threatening; ominous, illomened; alarming; (fear); explosive.

Irresolution

Vacillating; Verb: unsteady; (changeable); unsteadfast, fickle, without ballast; capricious; volatile, frothy; light, lightsome, light-minded; giddy; fast and loose.

Crosswords: Unsteady

You don't have an unsteady one either, understand (Moon Pilot; writing credit: Robert Buckner; Maurice Tombragel)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• A Method for Computing Unsteady Flows in Porous Media (reference)

• Numerical Simulation of Unsteady Flows and Transition to Turbulence (reference)

• Proceedings of the International Symposium on Unsteady Flow in Open Channels, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England (reference)

• Staying Steady in Unsteady Times (reference)

• The Unsteady March: The Rise and Decline of Racial Equality in America (reference)

  (more book examples)

Music

• Unsteady Ground (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Station Pen in Washington Triangulation party of O. B. French - occupied by J. S. Hill Instrument was mounted on tree trunk Instrument remained steady in azimuth but unsteady in level. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.

Aunty's always been a bit unsteady. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

To this perhaps it will be said, that the people being ignorant, and always discontented, to lay the foundation of government in the unsteady opinion and uncertain humour of the people, is to expose it to certain ruin; and no government will be able long to subsist, if the people may set up a new legislative, whenever they take offence at the old one. (Second Treatise of Government)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

The unsteady eyes dropped to the ground

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

And other Ménière's disease sufferers may notice a hearing loss and feel unsteady all day long for prolonged periods. (references)

General irritability and sleep irregularities may be seen. Gait patterns are unsteady and initiating motor movements can be difficult. (references)

A balance disorder is a disturbance that causes an individual to feel unsteady, giddy, woozy, or have a sensation of movement, spinning, or floating. (references)

Political Economy

Ukraine

Ukraine's progress toward developing a democratic state based on the rule of law has been unsteady. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Expressions using "unsteady": be unsteady on one's feet ♦ unsteady business ♦ Unsteady gait. Additional references.

Beginning with "unsteady": unsteady-looking.

Albanian

i pavendosur (dubious, hesitant, indecisive, irresolute, purposeless, sticky, suspensive, undecided, undetermined, unresolved, unsettled), i pasigurt (chancy, crazy, Dickey, dicky, disputable, doubtful, dubious, faithless, fly-by-night, incalculable, insecure, precarious, questionable, touch and go, tricksy, trustless, truthless, unassured, uncertain, unclear, unreliable, unsafe, unsure, untrustworthy), i paqëndrueshëm (changeable, cranky, fickle, fluent, fluid, inconsequential, inconstant, infirm, labile, mutable, non-persistent, protean, rocky, soft, tipsy, tottering, unequable, unstable, variable, volatile, waggly, wayward), i ndryshueshëm (alterable, changeable, changeful, fickle, flexible, inconstant, labile, mercurial, mobile, movable, mutable, protean, shifting, transitional, uncertain, unsettled, unstable, variable, various, varying, vertiginous), i lëkundshëm (hesitating, jumpy, rocky, shaky, unstable, vacillating, wavering). (various references)

Arabic 

‏مقلقل, ‏متقلقل (faltering, shaky, tottering, upset), ‏متقلب (capricious, changeable, changeful, choppy, fickle, flighty, fluctuant, fluky, freakish, incalculable, inconsistent, inconstant, jumpy, mercurial, mobile, moody, mutable, reversible, rough and tumble, shaky, skittish, temperamental, unsettled, unstable, variable, versatile, volatile, wavering, wayward, weather vane, whimsical, yeasty), ‏متحول (changeable, fickle, inconstant, unstable, variable), ‏متغير (changeable, changeful, changing, fickle, inconstant, mutable, variable, weathercock), ‏متزعزع (insecure, precarious, rickety, shaky, slippery, unstable, wonky), ‏غير مستقر (inconstant, infirm, insecure, labile, migrant, skittish, tottering, uneasy, unsettled, unstable), ‏غير مطرد. (various references)

Bulgarian 

разпуснат (dissolute, fast, free, gay, incontinent, lax, loose, profligate, raffish, rakish, self-abandoned, ungovernable, unregenerated, wanton), нестабилен (crank, dicky, doddery, groggy, insecure, tottery, uncertain, unsound, unstable, wonky), неустойчив (infirm, insecure, labile, non-persistent, rickety, top heavy, transient, unballasted, unequable, unstable, waggly, weak), несигурен (build on sand, chancy, dangerous, disputable, dubious, equivocal, faltering, halting, insecure, irresolute, long, pendulous, precarious, problematic, queasy, risky, rocky, shaky, slippy, suspensive, tentative, top heavy, tottery, treacherous, uncertain, uneasy, unreliable, unresolved, unsafe, unsettled, unsound, unsure, untrustworthy, variable, versatile, wonky), непостоянен (astatic, capricious, casual, changeable, changeful, discontinuous, erratic, fickle, fluctuating, fluid, impermanent, inconstant, irregular, liquid, lubricous, mobile, mutable, non-persistent, seesaw, sporadic, streaky, uncertain, unequable, uneven, unreliable, unstable, vagarious, variable, variant, volatile, wayward, whimsical, yo-yo), безпътен (abandoned, dissipated, dissolute, immodest, profligate, reprobate), променлив (baffling, changeable, choppy, erratic, fitful, fluctuating, fluent, inconsistent, inconstant, liquid, mobile, protean, shifting, undecided, unsettled, unstable, variable, variant, varied, versatile, volatile). (various references)

Chinese 

臲 (tottering), 卼 (uncomfortable), 傞 (inversion, mistake, uneven), 不平稳. (various references)

Czech

vratký (groggy, halting, insecure, loose, rickety, specious, top heavy, unstable), třesoucí se (doddering, quaking), potácivý, nestálý (changeable, erratic, fickle, floating, impermanent, inconstant, passing, unceasing, unsettled, unstable, volatile), nepravidelný (erratic, irregular, ragged, unequal, uneven), nepevný (infirm, limp, unsettled). (various references)

Danish

ustadig. (various references)

Dutch

weifelend. (various references)

Farsi 

متغیر (Diverse, Indignant, Protean, Shifty, Transitive, Uncertain, Variable, Variant, Vicissitudinous), متزلزل کردن , لق (Jiggly, Loose, Rickety, Wobbly), لرزان (Unstable, Vibrant, Wobbly), بی ثبات کردن . (various references)

Finnish

kiikkerä (easily rocked), horjuva (failing, tottering, uncertain, undecided, unstable, wavering), epävarma (doubtful, insecure, not sure, uncertain), epävakainen (changeable, inconstant, unstable, variable). (various references)

French

irrégulier (uneven), instable (uncertain, unsettled, unstable), indécis (undecided), incertain (uncertain, unclear, undecided, unpredictable, unsettled, unstable), hésitant, chancelant. (various references)

German

unstetig (discontinuous, unsteadily), unbeständig (changeable, erratic, fickle, fitful, flighty, impermanent, inconsistent, inconsistently, inconstant, inconstantly, labile, Moody, transitory, uncertain, unsettled, unstable, variable, volatile), schwankend (dizzily, faltering, fickle, firmless, fluctuating, hesitant, oscillating, pitching, rocking, rolling, seesawing, shakily, shaking, staggering, swaying, toddling, tottering, uncertain, uneven, unstable, vacillating, varying, wavering, wobbling). (various references)

Greek 

με τάση για πτώση, ασταθείς, ασταθήσ (choppy, erratic, inconstant, infirm, top heavy, tottering, tottery, unstable, wabbly). (various references)

Hebrew 

מת� ו�"�" (pendulous, tottery), לא יציב (groggy, inconstant, shaky, spotty, unsettled, unstable), � �"ו�" (infirm, migration, unstable, vagabondage, wandering). (various references)

Hungarian

változékony (alterable, changeable, choppy, fickle, impermanent, inconstant, labile, liquid, mercurial, mobile, mutable, unsettled, variable), bizonytalan (choppy, cranky, dicey, dim, dubious, elusive, equivocal, faint, faltering, fickle, have cold feet, hazy, hesitating, indefinite, indeterminate, insecure, irresolute, nondescript, obscure, pennky, precarious, questionable, sandy, scratchy, shaky, speculative, suspensive, to be in the air, to hang in the air, to hang in the balance, transcendental, uncertain, unsettled, unsure, vague, woozy). (various references)

Indonesian

lincah (lively), goyang (shaky, stagger, wobbly), goyah (loose). (various references)

Italian

volubile (changeable, fickle, skittish, unstable, variable, volatile), vacillante (failing, flickering, shaky), oscillante (fluctuating, oscillating, rocking, rolling, swinging), malsicuro (aleatory, insecure, uncertain, unreliable, unsafe, unsound, unstably, unsure), malfermo (delicate, poor, rocky, shaky, tipsily, unfirm, unsteadily, wobbly), instabile (changeable, inconstant, mobile, shaky, temperamental, unstable). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

浮き腰 (wavering). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

うき�"し (wavering). (various references)

Korean 

불안� �한 (shaky, unstable). (various references)

Pig Latin

eadyunstay.(various references)

Portuguese

hesitante (deliberate, diffident, double-minded, doubting, dubious, faltering, fumbling, half-hearted, halting, hesitant, indecisive, irresolute, limp, perplexed, reluctant, undecided, unresolved, vacillating, wavering, wobbly). (various references)

Romanian

variabil (changeable, choppy, floating, fluctuating, mutable, uncertain, uneven, unsettled, unstable, variable, variably, variant, varying), schimbãtor (capricious, catching, changeable, chequered, choppy, fickle, inconstant, mobile, Moody, moonish, mutable, shifty, slippery, switch, unequal, unsettled, variable, varied, versatile, volatile), inconstant (capricious, fickle, inconstant, versatile). (various references)

Russian 

неустойчивый (astable, changeable, dicky, erratic, grog, groggy, inconstant, infirm, labile, ramshackle, top heavy, topheavy, unballasted, unequable, unstable, waggly, wavering, yielding). (various references)

Scottish

clisbeach (unsteady of foot). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

promenljiv (changeable, changing, declinable, fickle, impermanent, mutable, shifting, unsettled, variable, variant, volatile), nestalan (changeable, erratic, fickle, fleeting, impermanent, inconsistent, inconstant, mercurial, shifty, skittish, transient, unabiding, versatile, volatile, voluble), nestabilan (unstable), nepouzdan (dicky, equivocal, precarious, sandy, trustless, unassured, uncertain, unreliable, unsafe, untrustworthy). (various references)

Spanish

inseguro (diffident, doubtful, doubting, firmless, insecure, loose, self conscious, shaky, uncertain, unsafe, unsure, untrustworthy), inconstante (erratic, fickle, inconstant, unstable). (various references)

Swedish

ostadig (cranky, fickle, groggy, shaky, uncertain, unstable, wobbly, wonky). (various references)

Turkish

sallanan (pendulous, rocking, rocky, shaking, swinging, tipsy, vacillating, wavering, wobbly), sabit olmayan (flexible, floating, inconstant), kararsız (ambivalent, astatic, baffling, changeable, changeful, double-minded, doubtful, dubious, erratic, faltering, fickle, flighty, fluctuating, flukey, fluky, fluxional, halting, hazy, hesitant, inconsistent, inconstant, indecisive, infirm, infirm of purpose, irresolute, precarious, restless, shilly shally, uncertain, uncommitted, undecided, undetermined, unresolved, unsettled, unstable, vacillating, vagabond, vague, wayward, weak-kneed), istikrarsız (changeable, changeful, choppy, desultory, fluid, precarious, undecided, unequal, unstable), güvenilmez (beyond belief, discredited, elusive, elusory, faithless, insecure, irresponsible, precarious, shifty, slippery, suspicious, treacherous, uncertain, unfaithful, unreliable, unsound, unstable, untrustable, untrustworthy, whacky), değişken (capricious, changeable, changeful, choppy, erratic, factor, fickle, fitful, flexible, flexile, fluid, fluxional, incalculable, inconsistent, inconstant, inequable, labile, mercurial, mobile, mutable, protean, shifting, sliding, streaked, streaky, swinging, uncertain, unfunded, unstable, variable, variant, versatile), düzensiz (chaotic, desultory, disordered, disorderly, disorganized, erratic, excursive, fitful, freehand, haywire, hugger mugger, huggermugger, indigested, inordinate, irregular, jerky, nonuniform, non-uniform, out of order, out of square, out of trim, out-of-balance, patchily, patchy, ragged, rambling, snatchy, snuffy, unequal, unkempt, untidy). (various references)

Ukrainian

нестійкий (astatic, broken, catching, chancy, dicky, drunk, erratic, groggy, infirm, labile, non-persistent, non-resistant, quaky, sliding, staggering, tickle, top heavy, unbalanced, unfixed, unsettled, wambly, yielding), нерівний (anomalous, banky, broken, drunken, humpy, inconstant, inequable, irregular, ragged, rough, rugged, splashy, stair-step, tremulant, tremulous, unequal, uneven), непостійний (ambulatory, capricious, changeable, changeful, fickle, flighty, impermanent, instable, mercurial, non-permanent, shifting, unstable, variant, volatile, voluble, weathercock). (various references)

Vietnamese 

loạng choạng (reelingly), lưỡng lự (double-minded, doubtful, dubious, dubitative, haltingly, hesitant, hesitatingly, hesitative, indecisive, seesaw, shilly-shally, undecided), không vững (crank, instable, rocky, unstable), không qu quyết phóng đ ng, không chắc (aleatory, improbable, uncertain, unlikely, unstable), không bền; hay do dự, hay thay đổi (changing, fickle, fizgig, flighty, fluky, humoursome, mutable, protean, varying), hay đổi lòng. (various references)

Welsh

simsan (rickety, shaky, tottering), serfyll, gwantan (feeble, fickle, poor), ansad (fickle, unstable). (various references)

instabile, instabiles, instabilis, instabilitatis. (various references)

Derivations

Words beginning with "unsteady": unsteadying. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Direct Anagrams: unstayed.

-1 letter: unsated.

-2 letters: daunts, dynast, nudest, sauted, staned, stayed, steady, sundae, syndet, uneasy, unseat, yentas.

-3 letters: adust, anted, antes, antsy, aunts, aunty, dates, daunt, dauts, deans, dents, duets, dunes, dunts, dusty, dynes, etnas, nasty, nates, neats, nudes, nutsy, sandy, saned, sated, saute, sedan, stade, stand, stane, stead, study, styed, suety, tansy, tends, tsade, tunas.

+1 letter: autodynes.

+2 letters: unsteadily.

+3 letters: dauntlessly, sustainedly, unsteadying.

+5 letters: adventurously, equidistantly, subordinately, tetradynamous, underlayments, underpayments, understatedly.