unsteady

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ʌnˈstɛdi/ UK /ʌnˈstɛdi/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
liable to falter or shake; not firm or stable

His unsteady hands betrayed how nervous he truly was.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · liable to falter or shake;... shaky wobbly unstable precarious tottering faltering insecure

Opposites

steady stable firm secure balanced

Word family

Forms unsteadilyunsteadiness

Derived forms unsteadilyunsteadiness

Related forms steady steadiness

Etymology

From un- ('not') + steady, from stead, from Old English stede ('place, position'), from Proto-Germanic *stadiz, from Proto-Indo-European *steh2- ('to stand').

un- Old English stede Old English *steh2- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# unsteady

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ʌnˈstɛdi
**IPA (UK):** ʌnˈstɛdi

## Meanings
1. liable to falter or shake; not firm or stable

## Examples
- His unsteady hands betrayed how nervous he truly was.

## Synonyms
- shaky
- wobbly
- unstable
- precarious
- tottering
- faltering
- insecure

## Antonyms
- steady
- stable
- firm
- secure
- balanced

## Derived Forms
- unsteadily
- unsteadiness

## Related Forms
- steady
- steadiness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: un-
- Root: stede
- Root: *steh2-

## Etymology
From un- ('not') + steady, from stead, from Old English stede ('place, position'), from Proto-Germanic *stadiz, from Proto-Indo-European *steh2- ('to stand').

## AI Etymology
Unsteady comes from un- ('not') + steady, from stead, from Old English stede ('place, position'), from Proto-Germanic *stadiz, from Proto-Indo-European *steh2- ('to stand'). The historical trail runs through Old English un-, Old English stede and Proto-Indo-European *steh2-. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. In modern use it means liable to falter or shake; not firm or stable. Derived formations include unsteadily, unsteadiness; related forms include steady, steadiness.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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unsteady

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