unreliable
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Not worthy of reliance or trust.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhnrihlyuhbuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ənɹɪˈlaɪəbəl
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.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Not worthy of reliance or trust
“In the early 1950s computers were large and expensive and unreliable.”
Not reliable.
noun
One who or that which cannot be relied upon.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Not worthy of reliance or trust
Used this way, unreliable is a common word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“In the early 1950s computers were large and expensive and unreliable.”
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use unreliable
- “In the early 1950s computers were large and expensive and unreliable.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: not worthy of reliance or trust
Antonyms
Sense: not worthy of reliance or trust
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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.