undependable

/ˌʌn.dɪˈpen.də.bəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌʌn.dɪˈpen.də.bəl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌən-di-ˈpen-də-bəl/ (ame, mw)

undependable — 形容詞

  • undependablepositive
  • more undependablecomparative
  • most undependablesuperlative

1. If someone or something is undependable, they often let you down or fail when yo

1.形容詞B2
釋義

不可靠的

常失誤、難以信賴的

If someone or something is undependable, they often let you down or fail when you need them, so they are hard to count on.

例句

The campsite's old generator was undependable and failed twice before midnight.

那個露營地的舊發電機很不可靠，半夜前就壞了兩次。

be + undependable for equipment that fails repeatedly

Nellie stopped asking Kevin for rides because he was too undependable.

Nellie 不再找 Kevin 載她，因為他太不可靠了。

too + adjective for judging a person's reliability

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • 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.

常見錯誤

❌The office printer is untrustworthy this week.
✅The office printer is undependable this week.
💡'untrustworthy' suggests dishonesty; for machines or services that keep failing, use 'undependable' or 'unreliable'.