Unreliable
/ˌʌnrɪˈlaɪəbəl/
Definitions
Not trustworthy; not able to be relied upon or depended on.
/ˌʌnrɪˈlaɪəbəl/
Not able to be trusted or depended on.
The weather forecast proved to be unreliable, as it rained despite predicting sunshine.
💡 Simply: Imagine you have a friend who always promises to bring snacks to the park, but never does. They're unreliable because you can't depend on them to follow through.
👶 For kids: Someone or something you can't trust to do what it's supposed to do.
More Examples
The old car was becoming increasingly unreliable, needing frequent repairs.
Her information was often unreliable, making it difficult to make decisions based on her reports.
How It's Used
"The company's financial statements were deemed unreliable."
"The old server was unreliable and often crashed."
"He's unreliable; he always cancels plans at the last minute."
Synonyms
From 'un-' (not) + 'reliable' (trustworthy), from 'rely' (to depend on) + '-able' (able to be). 'Reliable' itself comes from the Old French 'relier' (to bind or tie back).
The term 'unreliable' started becoming more common in the late 19th century, coinciding with the increased importance of verifiable information in various fields.
Memory tip
Think of a car that often breaks down – unreliable!