Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

unsteady

/ʌnˈstɛdi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.73 in modern English

Syllables
un-steady
IPA
/ʌnˈstɛdi/
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Not held firmly in position; physically unstable.

adj

Lacking regularity or uniformity.

adj

Inconstant in purpose, or volatile in behavior.

verb

To render unsteady, removing balance.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From un- + steady. Like steady, the word first appeared in English around 1530. The word is comparable to Old Frisian onstedich, Low German unstadig, etc.

Inflected Forms

unsteadier (comparative) unsteadiest (superlative) unsteadies (present, singular) unsteadying (participle, present) unsteadied (participle, past) unsteadied (past)

Derived Forms

unsteadily unsteadiness

Frequently Paired Words

ephemeral temporarily transience

Synonyms

precarious rickety shaky chaotic irregular unstable erratic fluid instable random rocky unsteady

Antonyms

steady

Rhymes With

already ready steady eddie teddy freddie eddy freddy reddy heady edie mehdi

Questions

How do you pronounce unsteady?
The recorded pronunciation is /ʌnˈstɛdi/.
What does unsteady mean?
Not held firmly in position; physically unstable.
Where does unsteady come from?
From un- + steady. Like steady, the word first appeared in English around 1530. The word is comparable to Old Frisian onstedich, Low German unstadig, etc.

How to pronounce unsteady

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “unsteady”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ʌnˈstɛdi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “unsteady”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “unsteady” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.