unsteady
/ʌnˈstɛdi
/adjective (unsteadier, unsteadiest)
1Liable to fall or shake; not steady in position: he was very unsteady on his feet Nathan pushed the mug into her unsteady hand...
- As Charles lets what feels like half of Glasgow into the dressing room, an unsteady young fan falls at Turner's feet.
- As he went to the scaffold, he was so injured and unsteady that he fell from the ladder he was climbing towards the rope and broke his neck.
- The social sciences occupied an unsteady position somewhere in between.
Synonyms
unstable, rocky, wobbly, wobbling, rickety, shaky, shaking, tottery, tottering, teetering, unsafe, unbalanced, unreliable, insecure, not secure, unfastened, unsecured, movable, precarious;
dizzy, light-headed, faint, weak-kneed, weak at the knees, groggy, punch-drunk;
feeble, faltering, doddery, doddering;
tentative, nervous, timid, hesitant
informal trembly, all of a quiver, teetery, (with legs) like jelly
rare vertiginous
1.1Not regular in pitch or rhythm: his deep voice was unsteady...
- The damp, hard floor beneath her was moving; it was swaying from side to side in an unsteady rhythm.
- Tom's singing voice was a little unsteady to begin with, but soon solidified into a soft, smooth tenor.
- The sound of Jerry Davis' unsteady and eager voice brought her eyes up from the floor with a smile.
Synonyms
irregular, uneven, varying, variable, erratic, jerky, unreliable, volatile, spasmodic, sporadic, changeable, changing, fluctuating, wavering, vacillating, inconstant, intermittent, fitful, desultory, occasional, unsystematic;
flickering, flashing, trembling
technical aperiodic
Derivatives
unsteadily
/ adverb ...- I walked unsteadily to the phone so that I could call Hud, only to find it ringing as I reached for it.
- As a result of his car accident, he still walks unsteadily.
- I lurch out of the door, point myself unsteadily in the direction of my student house, and stagger through the empty streets.
unsteadiness
/ noun ...- The new facility will have more space and the latest medical equipment to assess children with complaints such as coma, delayed development, learning difficulties, muscle weakness, unsteadiness and visual problems.
- Download the photos to your computer and adjust the images in Photoshop to compensate for any camera unsteadiness.
- Drowsiness, unsteadiness and dizziness are among the most common reactions, but for women in particular, the long-term consequences can be more serious.