to unsteady
4.2
To make something less firm or likely to fall
- verb
- /ʌnˈstɛdi/
:
desestabilizar
- The sudden gust of wind unsteadyed the ladder while he was painting the house.
Examples
-
Fatigue occasionally dives at me, unsteadies reality, but I won't give in.
Fiction book (1998) -
Her nervousness unsteadyed her hands as she tried to write her speech.
-
The earthquake unsteadyed the shelves, causing objects to fall off.
Synonyms
to unbalance
vsto unsteady
2
4.8
To make something unstable or uneven
is the same action worded as making things less stable or balanced
to overbalance
vsto unsteady
6.7
To make something lose balance or become unsteady
is the basic act of making something less stable without figurative sense
Antonyms
How Unstable
to topple
93
4.1
93
4.1
to unbalance
2
4.8
2
4.8
to unsteady
4.2
to shake
916
1.0
916
1.0
to nudge
33
3.8
33
3.8
to rock
230
1.0
230
1.0
Surface Forms
unsteady infinitive
unsteadied past
unsteadied past participle
unsteadying present participle
unsteadies third person singular
Morphology
Etymology
The verb unsteady comes from the same parts, un- 'not' and steady 'firm'. So, to unsteady something is to make it 'not firm' — like a gust of wind that makes a boat or a hand start to wobble.