Unsteadfastness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The attribute of not being constant or dependable; the state of experiencing fluctuation and uncertainty in behavior; a quality that involves wavering or not adhering to a firm resolve
2. The quality of being unreliable or changing frequently in opinion or purpose
3. A tendency to shift or falter in commitment or consistency

Etymology: "Unsteadfastness" is a plain compound built in English from two older parts. Its base, "unsteadfast," combines "un-," a prefix meaning "not," with "steadfast," which itself joins "stead," meaning "place" or "position," and "fast," meaning "firm" or "fixed." So the base word originally suggested something not fixed in place, and the sense of firmness of purpose came later, through the idea of standing firm in one's position. The word takes its final form from the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. The term was formed in Middle English, the English of roughly the 12th to 15th centuries, from "unstedefastnesse," which had the same structure: the adjective "unsteadfast" followed by "-ness." Its history is therefore that of its parts rather than of a single borrowed word.

Synonyms: instability, inconstancy, fickleness, unreliability

Antonyms: steadfastness, reliability