undependability
undependability — noun
1. the quality or condition of being someone or something that you cannot trust to
the quality or condition of being someone or something that you cannot trust to do what is needed, expected, or promised
The undependability of the town's bus service frustrated Nia every morning.
The undependability of public Wi-Fi made remote work difficult for Mayumi.
undependability of [thing] + makes + [activity] + [adjective]
Faisal had to replace his phone because of the undependability of its battery.
Rafael blamed the undependability of his old car for being late to meetings.
The undependability of cheap tools costs more in the long run, as Eleni learned.
- unreliability
more common in everyday English; 'unreliability' is the standard term, while 'undependability' is slightly rarer and more formal
- untrustworthiness
focuses on the moral or character aspect, used mainly for people rather than machines or systems
- instability
suggests frequent changes in condition or performance, without implying deliberate fault
- fickleness
refers to unpredictable changes in loyalty or preference, used for people's behaviour rather than mechanical failure
- dependability
the direct opposite; refers to the quality of being trustworthy and consistent
- reliability
the more commonly used antonym for both people and machines
用法筆記
Frequently used with the preposition 'of' to specify the person, machine, or system that cannot be relied on (e.g., 'the undependability of the internet'). More common in formal writing and evaluation contexts than in everyday speech; 'unreliability' is the preferred synonym in most informal situations.