undependable en · ADJ
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h₁ Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē- Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- Proto-Indo-European *(s)pn̥d-éh₁ye-ti Proto-Italic *pendējō Proto-Italic *pendēō Latin pendeō Latin dependeōder. Old French dependreder. Middle English dependen English depend Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Italic *-ðlom Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English dependable English undependable From un- + dependable.
Meanings
-
Not dependable.
‘These vehicles tended to be old and undependable, but some people had them.’
1998, Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Talents, HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP (2019), page 23:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more undependable | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most undependable | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
undependableness · undependably
Synonyms
flakey · unreliable · sporadic
Translations (4)
mi kōnukenuke (not to be relied upon) · bg ненадежден (not to be relied upon) · fr pas fiable (not to be relied upon) · mi kahurakiraki (not to be relied upon)