unreliable
gb/ˌʌnɹɪlˈaɪəbəl/ us/ˌʌnɹɪlˈaɪəbəl/
B2
English
megbízhatatlan, ingadozó
B2
1
Usage pattern:
unreliable [person/employee/friend]
He's talented, but he's unreliable and often misses deadlines.
Tehetséges, de megbízhatatlan, és gyakran nem tartja a határidőket.
I stopped asking her for help because she’s too unreliable.
Már nem kérem a segítségét, mert túl megbízhatatlan.
They need someone reliable, not an unreliable partner who disappears for days.
Learner examples
My bus driver is unreliable.
A buszsofőröm megbízhatatlan.
He is unreliable, so I don’t trust him.
Megbízhatatlan, ezért nem bízom benne.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use unreliable to mean 'unavailable' or 'busy'; it mainly means 'not dependable'.
Meaning
not dependable as a person
Collocations
an unreliable person
|an unreliable employee
|an unreliable friend
|highly unreliable
|rather unreliable
|prove unreliable
|become unreliable
|unreliable at work
|unreliable with money
|unreliable in a crisis
Synonyms
undependable (Direct synonym; emphasizes lack of consistency.)
|
untrustworthy (Suggests you cannot trust their honesty, not just their punctuality.)
|
inconsistent (Focuses on changing behavior rather than character.)
Antonyms
reliable (Can be trusted to do what is expected.)
|
dependable (Emphasizes steady support and responsibility.)
Themes
relationships
|work
|daily_life
Definition
Someone who is unreliable often does not do what they promise.
Not able to be trusted to do what you expect or to do what you are supposed to do.
B2
2
Usage pattern:
unreliable [car/machine/service/connection]
Their old car is unreliable and keeps breaking down.
A régi autójuk megbízhatatlan, és folyton lerobban.
The Wi‑Fi is unreliable in this building, so video calls often drop.
Ebben az épületben megbízhatatlan a Wi‑Fi, ezért a videóhívások gyakran megszakadnak.
We replaced the printer because it was too unreliable.
Learner examples
My phone is unreliable.
A telefonom megbízhatatlan.
The internet here is unreliable.
Itt megbízhatatlan az internet.
Common mistake:
Unreliable describes performance over time; for a single failure, learners may prefer 'broken' or 'not working'.
Meaning
not working consistently
Collocations
an unreliable car
|unreliable equipment
|unreliable service
|unreliable internet
|an unreliable connection
|unreliable public transport
|an unreliable engine
|unreliable software
|unreliable power supply
|unreliable delivery
Synonyms
faulty (Emphasizes a defect or technical problem.)
|
temperamental (Suggests it works sometimes but is unpredictable.)
|
erratic (Highlights irregular, unpredictable performance.)
Antonyms
reliable (Works well and consistently.)
|
stable (Emphasizes steady, predictable performance (often for systems).)
Themes
technology
|daily_life
|transport
Definition
Something unreliable does not work well all the time.
Not working properly or not performing in a consistent way; likely to fail or cause problems.
C1
3
Usage pattern:
unreliable [information/source/report/website]
Most of the information on that site is unreliable.
Azon az oldalon az információk többsége megbízhatatlan.
The article relied on unreliable sources and contained several errors.
A cikk megbízhatatlan forrásokra támaszkodott, és több hibát tartalmazott.
Without records, any estimate would be unreliable.
Learner examples
This news is unreliable.
Ez a hír nem megbízható.
The source is unreliable.
A forrás megbízhatatlan.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse unreliable with 'unknown'; something can be well-known but still unreliable.
Meaning
not trustworthy as information
Collocations
an unreliable source
|unreliable information
|an unreliable report
|unreliable claims
|unreliable figures
|an unreliable website
|unreliable statistics
|unreliable testimony
|unreliable data
|highly unreliable
Synonyms
dubious (Suggests there is good reason to doubt it.)
|
questionable (More neutral; implies it may not be trustworthy.)
|
untrustworthy (Often used for sources; can also suggest dishonest intent.)
Antonyms
reliable (Likely to be true and accurate.)
|
credible (Believable because it seems trustworthy.)
Themes
media
|education
|information
Definition
Information that is unreliable may be wrong.
Not likely to be true or accurate; not a source you can trust for correct information.
C1
4
ingadozó
B2
Usage pattern:
unreliable [results/performance/measurements]
The test produced unreliable results, so they ran it again.
A teszt megbízhatatlan eredményeket adott, ezért újra elvégezték.
His performance this season has been unreliable: brilliant one week, poor the next.
A teljesítménye ebben a szezonban ingadozó volt: egyik héten zseniális, a következőn gyenge.
Because of interference, the sensor gives unreliable readings.
Learner examples
The results are unreliable.
Az eredmények megbízhatatlanok.
His work is unreliable.
A munkája ingadozó színvonalú.
Common mistake:
Learners may use unreliable when they mean 'inaccurate'; unreliable can mean either inaccurate or simply inconsistent.
Meaning
inconsistent or unpredictable results
Collocations
unreliable results
|unreliable performance
|unreliable measurements
|unreliable estimates
|unreliable indicators
|unreliable forecasts
|unreliable signals
|unreliable readings
|unreliable output
|unreliable quality
Synonyms
inconsistent (Emphasizes variation over time.)
|
erratic (Stronger; suggests sudden, unpredictable changes.)
|
variable (More neutral; common in technical or scientific contexts.)
Antonyms
consistent (Similar results over time.)
|
steady (Stable and not changing suddenly.)
Themes
science
|business
|sports
Definition
If results are unreliable, they change a lot and you can’t depend on them.
Not consistent from one time to another, so it cannot be counted on to give the same result or quality.
Grammar
Dictionary form
unreliable
IPA
GB/ˌʌnɹɪlˈaɪəbəl/
US/ˌʌnɹɪlˈaɪəbəl/
Syllables & stress
un - re - li - able (4 syllables)
Stress on 3rd syllable (li)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: unreliable
Expressions
unreliable connection
1/ˌʌnɹɪlˈaɪəbəl kənˈɛkʃən/
fixed phrase
internet link that often fails
A connection that stops or becomes weak often.
Examples
- I kept losing audio because of an unreliable connection.
- If you have an unreliable connection, it helps to turn off video during calls.
Learner examples
- I have an unreliable connection today.
unreliable narrator
1/ˌʌnɹɪlˈaɪəbəl nˈɛɹeɪtɚ/
fixed phrase
Narrator who cannot be trusted
A narrator who does not tell the story in a fully true or clear way, so the reader cannot fully trust what they say.
Examples
- The twist ending reveals that the book has an unreliable narrator.
- An unreliable narrator makes the reader work harder to find the real story.
- Film critics praised the use of an unreliable narrator to create suspense.
unreliable narrator
1/ˌʌnɹɪlˈaɪəbəl nˈɛɹeɪtɚ/
fixed phrase
storyteller you cannot fully trust
A narrator who may not tell the truth or may be wrong.
Examples
- The novel uses an unreliable narrator, so the reader has to question every detail.
- Halfway through the film, you realize the narrator has been unreliable all along.
Learner examples
- The book has an unreliable narrator.
unreliable source
1/ˌʌnɹɪlˈaɪəbəl sˈɔɹs/
fixed phrase
source that cannot be trusted
A source that often gives wrong information.
Examples
- The story came from an unreliable source, so we didn’t publish it.
- Try to confirm the claim with a second source if the first one seems unreliable.
Learner examples
- That website is an unreliable source.
unreliable witness
1/ˌʌnɹɪlˈaɪəbəl wˈɪtnəs/
fixed phrase
legal
witness whose testimony is doubtful
A witness you cannot trust to give correct information.
Examples
- The defense argued that the key witness was unreliable.
- Because the witness changed his story, the jury saw him as an unreliable witness.