unsteady

UK: /ʌnˈstɛdi/ US: /ʌnˈstɛdi/ ,(un sted′ē)

Inflections of 'unsteady' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

unsteadies

v 3rd person singular

unsteadying

v pres p

unsteadied

v past

unsteadied

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

un•stead•y /ʌnˈstɛdi/   adj., -i•er, -i•est. 

1. not steady or firm; unstable;
   shaky:
   an unsteady ladder; an unsteady gait.
2. irregular or uneven:
   unsteady development.

un•stead•i•ly /ʌnˈstɛdəli/  adv. 
un•stead•i•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

un•stead•y  (un sted′ē), adj., v., -stead•ied, -stead•y•ing. 
adj. 

1. not steady or firm;
   unstable;
   shaky:
   an unsteady hand.
2. fluctuating or wavering:
   an unsteady flame; unsteady prices.
3. irregular or uneven:
   an unsteady development.

v.t. 

4. to make unsteady.

• un-¹ + steady 1525–35

un•stead′i•ly, adv. 
un•stead′i•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. See unsettled. 
• 2. vacillating, flickering.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

unsteady / ʌnˈstɛdɪ/ adjective

1. not securely fixed: an unsteady foothold
2. (of behaviour, etc) lacking constancy; erratic
3. without regularity: an unsteady rhythm
4. (of a manner of walking, etc) precarious, staggering, as from intoxication

unˈsteadily adverb

unˈsteadiness noun