unreliable
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unreliable
Describes a person you cannot rely on because they do not keep promises or honor agreements.
Mein Kollege ist leider sehr unzuverlässig und kommt oft zu spät zu Terminen.
Unfortunately, my colleague is very unreliable and often arrives late for appointments.
unreliable
Describes a thing, device, or piece of information that does not function consistently or correctly and is therefore not trustworthy.
Die Internetverbindung in diesem Hotel ist extrem unzuverlässig.
The internet connection in this hotel is extremely unreliable.
The word is the opposite of 'zuverlässig' (reliable) and is related to the verb 'sich auf jemanden/etwas verlassen' (to rely on someone/something). An unreliable person or thing is therefore someone or something you cannot rely on.
Man kann sich nicht auf ihn verlassen, er ist einfach zu unzuverlässig.
You can't rely on him; he is simply too unreliable.
The word can refer to people and to things. With people, it means that they do not keep promises. With things like devices or information, it means that they do not function correctly or consistently.
Er kommt ständig zu spät, er ist wirklich unzuverlässig.
He is constantly late; he is really unreliable.
When referring to people, 'unzuverlässig' (unreliable) is often used to evaluate their behavior in social or professional contexts. Typical examples are 'ein unzuverlässiger Kollege' (an unreliable colleague) or 'ein unzuverlässiger Partner' (an unreliable partner).
Wegen seiner unzuverlässigen Art wollte niemand mit ihm im Team arbeiten.
Because of his unreliable nature, no one wanted to work with him on the team.
With things, technology, or information, 'unzuverlässig' (unreliable) describes a lack of functionality or correctness. Common combinations are 'eine unzuverlässige Internetverbindung' (an unreliable internet connection), 'unzuverlässige Daten' (unreliable data), or 'ein unzuverlässiges Auto' (an unreliable car).
Ich brauche ein neues Auto, mein altes ist zu unzuverlässig geworden.
I need a new car; my old one has become too unreliable.
uncertain / insecure
When used with a method, unsicher emphasizes that the result is not certain. Unzuverlässig, on the other hand, evaluates the method itself: it does not work consistently or correctly, so you cannot rely on it. A single result can be unsicher; repeatedly varying results make a method unzuverlässig.
Diese Messmethode liefert bei jeder Prüfung andere Werte und ist deshalb unzuverlässig.
This measuring method produces different values every time it is used and is therefore unreliable.
Das Ergebnis dieser Messmethode ist ohne eine zweite Prüfung noch unsicher.
Without a second check, the result of this measuring method is still uncertain.
