reliable
/rɪˈlaɪəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /rɪˈlaɪəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /ri-ˈlī-ə-bəl/ (ame, mw)
reliable — adjective
- reliablepositive
- more reliablecomparative
- most reliablesuperlative
1. A reliable person, machine, or system always does what you expect, so you can tr
A reliable person, machine, or system always does what you expect, so you can trust them completely — for example, a reliable car starts every morning without fail, and a reliable colleague never misses a deadline.
Minh trusts Valentina with his cat because she is a reliable neighbour who keeps promises.
collocation: reliable + role noun (neighbour/friend/colleague)
Adaeze's old washing machine is still reliable after ten years of heavy use.
collocation: reliable + machine/appliance
The night buses here are not reliable, so Eliska takes the train instead.
Jude is the most reliable member of the sales team; he always meets his targets.
A reliable internet connection is essential for Naoko's work as an online tutor.
- dependable
almost identical in meaning; 'dependable' is slightly more common for people, 'reliable' for machines
- trustworthy
stronger emphasis on honesty and moral integrity rather than consistent performance
- trusty
slightly old-fashioned or playful; often used for objects (trusty bike, trusty knife)
- unreliable
direct opposite; describes people or things that cannot be trusted
- undependable
less common but means the same as unreliable
文法句型
attributive: reliable + noun
predicative: be + reliable
用法筆記
Frequently used for both people (a reliable worker) and objects (a reliable car). For people, the focus is on consistent performance rather than moral character — a reliable colleague does the work well even if they are not especially warm or friendly.
常見錯誤
2. Information, data, or news that is reliable comes from facts that someone has ca
Information, data, or news that is reliable comes from facts that someone has carefully checked, so you can trust that it is correct — for example, a reliable weather report from the national weather centre.
Faisal only reads news from reliable sources that check their facts before publishing.
collocation: reliable + source
The data from Amelia's experiment was reliable because she repeated it three times.
collocation: reliable + data/results
Before buying the house, Joon wanted a reliable report on its true market value.
Scientists need reliable information to make important decisions about public health.
Nila checked three different websites to find reliable statistics for her school project.
- accurate
focuses on exactness and precision rather than trustworthiness
- credible
suggests something deserves to be believed because of supporting evidence or a trustworthy source
- authoritative
implies the information comes from an official or expert source that can be trusted
- unreliable
direct opposite — cannot be trusted to be correct
- questionable
suggests doubt about truthfulness without claiming it is definitely wrong
文法句型
attributive: reliable + information noun
predicative: information/data + be + reliable
用法筆記
Common with nouns related to data, news, research, and reports. This sense does not usually apply to opinions or personal judgments — you would not describe someone's taste in music as 'reliable'.
常見錯誤
reliable — noun
1. A person who can always be trusted to do what is needed, especially within a tea
A person who can always be trusted to do what is needed, especially within a team, workplace, or regular group — for example, a colleague whom the manager calls on when a task must be done perfectly.
When the kitchen got busy, the manager called her reliables to cover extra tables.
plural form: the + reliables
Coach Valdez picked his reliables for the most important positions on the field.
The principal described Mrs. Okafor as a reliable who never misses a staff meeting.
Every rescue team needs a few reliables who stay calm when things go wrong.
文法句型
the + reliables (plural)
a + reliable (singular, informal)
用法筆記
Most common in informal workplace or team contexts. The plural form 'reliables' is used more often than the singular 'a reliable'. Refers almost exclusively to people; use for equipment is very rare.