unreliable

adjective

un·​re·​li·​able ˌən-ri-ˈlī-ə-bəl How to pronounce unreliable (audio)
: not reliable : undependable, untrustworthy
an unreliable friend
an unreliable source of funding
an unreliable car
unreliability noun
the unreliability of the data
a person with a reputation for unreliability
unreliably adverb
a method that works unreliably

Examples of unreliable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Both have been neglected for years: Bridges are crumbling, school buildings disintegrating, and trains — once a symbol of German efficiency — are now so unreliable that some lines are banned from neighboring Switzerland’s railways. Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 4 June 2025 He’s also become notoriously unreliable as a live act, particularly in the Twin Cities. Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 3 June 2025 If the United States is an unreliable partner and a source of chaos these countries will turn elsewhere, building new security and trade alliances that don’t depend on the inconstant, waning superpower. Lydia Polgreen, Mercury News, 27 May 2025 The Kremlin’s growing concerns about unreliable elites have been heightened by Russia’s fragile economic outlook. Andrei Yakovlev, Foreign Affairs, 16 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for unreliable

Word History

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unreliable was in 1810

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Cite this Entry

“Unreliable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unreliable. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.

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