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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

unreliable en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /ˌʌn.ɹəˈlaɪ.ə.bəl/ (General-American)
  • (US) audio
  • /ʌn.ɹɪˈlaɪ.ə.bl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˌʌn.ɹɪˈlaɪ.ə.bl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From un- + reliable.

Meanings

  1. Not reliable.
    • The opposite issue emerges in the summer when students face scorching temperatures with unreliable or nonexistent air conditioning. 2018 January 4, Janie Tankard Carnock, “Frigid Baltimore City schools: The racism we haven’t confronted”, in CNN:
    • Tell one another whether any one of you has ever heard me discuss such questions briefly or at length; and then you will realize that the other popular reports about me are equally unreliable. 1954, Plato, translated by Hugh Tredennick, “Socrates on Trial: The Apology”, in The Last Days of Socrates (Penguin Classics), Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, →OCLC, page 22:
    • "Operating the WCML at this intensity makes it challenging to maintain acceptable performance levels, resulting in a frustratingly unreliable service for passengers. Minor disruption can escalate into significant delays because a train running only a few minutes late can miss its slot across a junction, resulting in a snowballing effect across the network." 2020 May 6, Philip Haigh, “Just one more stop on the long journey to HS2 fulfillment [sic]”, in Rail, page 65:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
most unreliable Degree=Sup lexicographic
more unreliable Degree=Cmp lexicographic

Antonyms

reliable

Deriveds

unreliable narrator · unreliableness · unreliably

Relateds

unreliability

Synonyms

sporadic · flakey · undependable · shaky

Translations (57)

uk ненаді́йний (not reliable) · bg ненадежден (not reliable) · pl nierzetelny (not reliable) · ga ainfhéichiúnta (not reliable) · mi mōngina (not reliable) · cy annibynadwy (not reliable) · ga feillbhéasach (not reliable) · nb upålitelig (not reliable) · cs nespolehlivý (not reliable) · it inaffidabile (not reliable) · fi epäluotettava (not reliable) · mi hārekereke (not reliable) · es no ser de fiar (not reliable) · ru неблагонадёжный (not reliable) · ga neamhchoinníollach (not reliable) · nn upåliteleg (not reliable) · eu ganorabako (not reliable) · eo nefidinda (not reliable) · ga neamhiontaofa (not reliable) · fr non fiable (not reliable) · cmn 不可靠的 (not reliable) · mi hurori (not reliable) · is óáreiðanlegur (not reliable) · mi kōnukenuke (not reliable) · el αναξιόπιστος (not reliable) · pl awaryjny (not reliable) · be ненадзе́йны (not reliable) · es no/poco/nada fiable/confiable (not reliable) · tr güvenilmez (not reliable) · nl onbetrouwbaar (not reliable) · pdt onbestendich (not reliable) · hu megbízhatatlan (not reliable) · pt não confiável (not reliable) · eu ganoragabe (not reliable) · kk тұрақсыз (not reliable) · mk неси́гурен (not reliable) · sh nepouzdan (not reliable) · mk недо́верлив (not reliable) · fr à qui on ne peut pas se fier (not reliable) · da upålidelig (not reliable) · sq i pasigurt (not reliable) · mi māngina (not reliable) · txb empakwatte (not reliable) · mk нена́дежен (not reliable) · kk сенімсіз (not reliable) · ga abhógach (not reliable) · az etibarsız (not reliable) · ht infidèl (not reliable) · mi kahurangi (not reliable) · mi kahurakiraki (not reliable) · sv opålitlig (not reliable) · mi hārakiraki (not reliable) · de unzuverlässig (not reliable) · pt inconfiável (not reliable) · cy gwantan (not reliable) · ru ненадёжный (not reliable) · ga neamh-mhuiníneach (not reliable)

unreliable en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˌʌn.ɹəˈlaɪ.ə.bəl/ (General-American)
  • (US) audio
  • /ʌn.ɹɪˈlaɪ.ə.bl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˌʌn.ɹɪˈlaɪ.ə.bl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From un- + reliable.

Meanings

  1. One who or that which cannot be relied upon.
    • His employment by the leading papers in Chicago was intermittent, as he was classed among the unreliables. One could never tell when he was going to get drunk. 1894, Inebriety: its treatment and cure, page 17:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
unreliables Number=Plur lexicographic