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unreliable

[ uhn-ri-lahy-uh-buhl ]

/ ˌʌn rɪˈlaɪ ə bəl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR unreliable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not reliable; not to be relied or depended on.

Origin of unreliable

First recorded in 1830–40; un-¹ + reliable

SYNONYMS FOR unreliable

undependable, irresponsible, untrustworthy.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR unreliable ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM unreliable

un·re·li·a·bil·i·ty, un·re·li·a·ble·ness, noun un·re·li·a·bly, adverb

Words nearby unreliable

unregistered, unregulated, unrehearsed, unrelated, unrelenting, unreliable, unreligious, unremarkable, unremitted, unremittedly, unremittent

Example sentences from the Web for unreliable

Could you talk a minute about the notion of being an unreliable narrator?

Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination |Mindy Farabee |December 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The results played right into the hands of those who wanted to portray the opposition as unreliable.

Digital Doublethink: Playing Truth or Dare with Putin, Assad and ISIS |Christopher Dickey, Anna Nemtsova |November 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Excerpts of his video statements fill the highlight reels when unreliable confessions are the subject of TV programs.

The Myth of the Central Park Five |Edward Conlon |October 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The reports are often unreliable, however, leading to confusion.

Afghan Army Killings Threaten U.S. Aid |Kimberly Dozier |September 2, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

The familiar good, bad, and ugly, the reliable and the unreliable, are being swallowed up by the earthquake.

Here’s What the U.S. Has to Do to Deal With the Mad Middle East |Leslie H. Gelb |July 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The most unreliable portion of a yacht's rigging is the ironwork.

On Yachts and Yacht Handling |Thomas Fleming Day
We have an unsteady and unreliable population; and the daily interior guard duty, for the city proper, requires over 300 men.

Reports of the Committee on the Conduct of the War |United States Senate
Chopin's pupils are, however, as unreliable as the girls who pose as Liszt's pupils.

Franz Liszt |James Huneker
If one faculty is unveracious and unreliable, how can we determine that the other is not equally so?

Christianity and Greek Philosophy |Benjamin Franklin Cocker
But there is nothing so unreliable as weather, especially Irish weather.

Lalage's Lovers |George A. Birmingham

British Dictionary definitions for unreliable

unreliable

/ (ˌʌnrɪˈlaɪəbəl) /

adjective

not reliable; untrustworthy an unreliable witness