undependable
/ˌʌn.dɪˈpen.də.bəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌʌn.dɪˈpen.də.bəl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌən-di-ˈpen-də-bəl/ (ame, mw)
undependable — adjective
- undependablepositive
- more undependablecomparative
- most undependablesuperlative
1. If someone or something is undependable, they often let you down or fail when yo
If someone or something is undependable, they often let you down or fail when you need them, so they are hard to count on.
The campsite's old generator was undependable and failed twice before midnight.
be + undependable for equipment that fails repeatedly
Nellie stopped asking Kevin for rides because he was too undependable.
too + adjective for judging a person's reliability
The bus service became undependable after three drivers left the company.
Minh warned us that the map app was undependable in mountain villages.
An undependable babysitter can ruin a parent's work schedule.
- unreliable
the most common everyday choice; nearly the same meaning
- inconsistent
focuses on changing performance, not always on broken trust
- untrustworthy
focuses on honesty or truthfulness, especially for people or information
- reliable
direct opposite; can be counted on
- dependable
closest positive opposite; emphasises steady support
- trustworthy
opposite when the issue is honesty rather than performance
文法句型
attributive: undependable + noun
predicative: be + undependable
用法筆記
More often used for people, services, and machines than for one-time events. It is close to 'unreliable', but 'undependable' sounds slightly stronger and is less common in everyday speech.