Unreliable Meaning
/ˌʌn.ɹɪˈlaɪ.ə.bl̩/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjNot reliable.
nounOne who or that which cannot be relied upon.
Sentence Examples
Our experiment has revealed that his report was unreliable.
All these devices are unreliable.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
Because he forgot the meeting again, my friend is considered a very ____ person.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The old car has become very ____, so I decided to buy a new one before I go on my trip today.
Word Origin & History
From un- + reliable.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Tell one another whether any one of you has ever heard me discuss such questions briefly or at length; and then you will realize that the other popular reports about me are equally unreliable."
— 1954, Plato, translated by Hugh Tredennick, “Socrates on Trial: The Apology”, in The Last Days of Socrates (Penguin Classics), Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, →OCLC, page 22:
"The opposite issue emerges in the summer when students face scorching temperatures with unreliable or nonexistent air conditioning."
— 2018 January 4, Janie Tankard Carnock, “Frigid Baltimore City schools: The racism we haven’t confronted”, in CNN:
""Operating the WCML at this intensity makes it challenging to maintain acceptable performance levels, resulting in a frustratingly unreliable service for passengers. Minor disruption can escalate into significant delays because a train running only a few minutes late can miss its slot across a junction, resulting in a snowballing effect across the network.""
— 2020 May 6, Philip Haigh, “Just one more stop on the long journey to HS2 fulfillment [sic]”, in Rail, page 65:
"His employment by the leading papers in Chicago was intermittent, as he was classed among the unreliables. One could never tell when he was going to get drunk."
— 1894, Inebriety: its treatment and cure, page 17:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Because he forgot the meeting again, my friend is considered a very ____ person.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The old car has become very ____, so I decided to buy a new one before I go on my trip today.