UNSTEADY: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for UNSTEADY?

Need another word that means the same as “unsteady”? Find 38 synonyms and 30 related words for “unsteady” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Unsteady” are: unfirm, unstable, rocky, wobbly, wobbling, rickety, shaky, tottery, tottering, unsafe, unbalanced, unreliable, insecure, not secure, unfastened, unsecured, movable, precarious, irregular, uneven, varying, variable, erratic, jerky, volatile, spasmodic, sporadic, changeable, changing, fluctuating, wavering, vacillating, inconstant, intermittent, fitful, desultory, occasional, unsystematic

Unsteady as an Adjective

Definitions of "Unsteady" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “unsteady” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Liable to fall or shake; not steady in position.
• Not regular in pitch or rhythm.
• Not firmly or solidly positioned.
• Subject to change or variation.

Synonyms of "Unsteady" as an adjective (38 Words)

changeable	Subject to change. Changeable moods.
changing	Marked by continuous change or effective action.
desultory	Occurring randomly or occasionally. The desultory conversation faded.
erratic	Likely to perform unpredictably- Osbert Lancaster. Her breathing was erratic.
fitful	Active or occurring spasmodically or intermittently; not regular or steady. Fitful or interrupted sleep.
fluctuating	Rising and falling irregularly in number or amount. Fluctuating prices.
inconstant	Frequently changing; variable or irregular. Inconstant affections.
insecure	Not safe from attack. Badly paid and insecure jobs.
intermittent	Stopping and starting at irregular intervals. Intermittent rain.
irregular	Failing to meet a standard of manufacture due to an imperfection. Their involvement in irregular financial dealings.
jerky	Contemptibly foolish. He makes mischief with his jerky pals.
movable	Capable of being moved. They stripped the town of all movable objects and fled.
not secure	Free from danger or risk.
occasional	Occurring from time to time. Occasional headaches.
precarious	Affording no ease or reassurance. He made a precarious living as a painter.
rickety	Inclined to shake as from weakness or defect. A rickety table.
rocky	Full of hardship or trials. On high rocky heels.
shaky	Not secure; beset with difficulties. After a shaky start the Scottish team made superb efforts.
spasmodic	Caused by, subject to, or in the nature of a spasm or spasms. Spasmodic fighting continued.
sporadic	Recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances. A city subjected to sporadic bombing raids.
tottering	(of a structure) shaking or swaying as if about to collapse. A tottering skeleton of a horse.
tottery	Unsteady in gait as from infirmity or old age. A tottery old man.
unbalanced	(of a person) emotionally or mentally disturbed. She considered him to be mentally unbalanced and dangerous.
uneven	Not regular, consistent, or equal. An uneven gait.
unfastened	Not tied. The car door was unfastened.
unfirm	Not solid or secure. An unfirm stance.
unreliable	Dangerously unstable and unpredictable. In the early 1950s computers were large and expensive and unreliable.
unsafe	Involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm. Drinking water in some areas may be unsafe.
unsecured	Of a creditor having made an unsecured loan. The maid had been responsible for leaving the room unsecured.
unstable	Disposed to psychological variability. Unstable political conditions.
unsystematic	Not done or acting according to a fixed plan or system; unmethodical. He works in an unsystematic manner.
vacillating	Uncertain in purpose or action. He was accused of vacillating leadership.
variable	Marked by diversity or difference. Awards can be for variable amounts.
varying	Marked by diversity or difference. Varying degrees of success.
volatile	(of a person) liable to display rapid changes of emotion. A passionate volatile young man.
wavering	Moving in a quivering way; flickering. She gave a wavering smile.
wobbling	(of sound) fluctuating unsteadily. A low pitched wobbling sound.
wobbly	(of a person or voice) tending to move out of tone or slightly vary in pitch. A wobbly soprano.

Usage Examples of "Unsteady" as an adjective

• He was very unsteady on his feet.
• An unsteady voice.
• Nathan pushed the mug into her unsteady hand.
• His hand was unsteady as he poured the wine.
• Her unsteady walk.
• Climbing carefully up the unsteady ladder.
• His deep voice was unsteady.

Associations of "Unsteady" (30 Words)

agitated	Troubled emotionally and usually deeply. Agitated parents.
arrhythmic	Not rhythmic; without rhythm or regularity. An arrhythmic heartbeat.
capricious	Changeable. Authoritarian rulers are frequently capricious.
changeable	Able to be changed or exchanged. Changeable moods.
erratic	Likely to perform unpredictably. Erratic behavior.
fickle	Marked by erratic changeableness in affections or attachments. Fickle friends.
flickering	Shining unsteadily. The flickering flames cast long shadows.
insecure	Not safe from attack. A rather gauche insecure young man.
irregular	A member of an irregular military force. Irregular troops.
labile	Liable to change. Persons whose blood pressure is more labile will carry an enhanced risk of heart attack.
mercurial	A drug or other compound containing mercury. Mercurial twists of temperament.
precarious	Not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse. A precarious truce.
quicksilver	The liquid metal mercury. His quicksilver wit.
random	Governed by or involving equal chances for each item. Unlike other fan mail from randoms this was special.
rickety	(of a structure or piece of equipment) poorly made and likely to collapse. A rickety table.
shaky	Shaking or trembling. A shaky marriage.
shifting	(of soil) unstable. He drifted into the shifting crowd.
shifty	Constantly changing; shifting. Shifty winds.
shivering	A sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever. Sparkling light from the shivering crystals of the chandelier.
straddle	A noncommittal or equivocal position. He turned the chair round and straddled it.
uncertain	Not established or confirmed. Everything is uncertain about the army.
undecided	Not settled or resolved. The jury remained undecided.
unpredictable	Not capable of being foretold. An unpredictable or indeterminable future.
unreliable	Not worthy of reliance or trust. Unreliable information.
unsafe	Not safe; dangerous. Drinking water in some areas may be unsafe.
unsettled	(of a bill) not yet paid. An unsettled state of mind.
unsound	Physically unsound or diseased. The tower is structurally unsound.
unstable	Lacking stability or fixity or firmness. Unstable political conditions.
variable	The region of light variable winds to the north of the north east trade winds or in the southern hemisphere between the south east trade winds and the westerlies. The quality of hospital food is highly variable.
volatile	A volatile substance a substance that changes readily from solid or liquid to a vapor. Volatile stocks.