Unsteadies

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Makes someone or something lose their physical balance or become unstable
2. Causes a lack of steadiness or firmness in position or control
3. Induces unbalance or instability, affecting physical or figurative steadiness

Etymology: "Unsteadies" is the third-person singular present form of the verb "unsteady," so its history is that of the verb and its root adjective. "Unsteady" is formed from the prefix "un-," meaning "not," joined to "steady," which describes something that is firm, fixed, or regular in position or motion. "Steady" itself comes from the Middle English adjective "stedi," built on the older word "stede," meaning "place" or "position," the same root that gives "instead," which is literally "in place of." Put together, "unsteady" describes something that has lost its firm footing or fixed position. The "un-" prefix is an ancient and productive one in English: it is attached to many native words, so "unsteady" is a plain, transparent formation rather than a borrowing. The word first appeared in English around 1530, and it has been comparable across the Germanic languages, with cognates such as Old Frisian "onstedich" and Low German "unstadig."

Synonyms: destabilizes, disrupts, shakes

Antonyms: stabilizes, steady, balances