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reliable

adjective · noun

Simple meaning

Such that either a sent packet will reach its destination, even if it requires retransmission, or the sender will be told that it didn't.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

rihlyuhbuhl

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ɹɪˈlaɪəbəl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. Suitable or fit to be relied on; worthy of dependence, reliance or trust; dependable, trustworthy

  2. signal processingof a communication protocol

    Such that either a sent packet will reach its destination, even if it requires retransmission, or the sender will be told that it didn't.

noun

  1. Something or someone reliable or dependable

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Varies by meaning

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Suitable or fit to be relied on; worthy of dependence, reliance or trust; dependable, trustworthy

Used this way, reliable is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It quietly approves while staying precise.

Emotional tone
Positive
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Honest and open
Usage feel
Precise and approving

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use reliable

  • “A reliable source of information.”adjective

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

reliable informationreliable dataless reliablereliable sourcereliable methodreliable evidencehighly reliablereliable means

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • dependable

    Worthy of reliance or trust.

  • trustworthy

    Worthy of trust or belief.

  • faithful

    Reliable; worthy of trust.

  • authentic

    Conforming to reality and therefore worthy of trust, reliance, or belief.

  • trusty

    Reliable or trustworthy.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • reliancenounDerived noun · specialist

    Certainty based on past experience.

  • reliablyadverbDerived adverb

    In a faithful manner.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

  • reliabilitynounRelated term

    The quality of being dependable or reliable.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

adjective

Sense: suitable or fit to be relied on

authenticfaithfultrustyhonestArchaic

noun

Sense: something or someone reliable or dependable

faithfuldependable

Antonyms

adjective

Sense: suitable or fit to be relied on

undependableunreliable

noun

Sense: something or someone reliable or dependable

unreliable

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.