unsteadiness
Tendency to sway
Unsteadiness is the quality of being unstable or wavering.
Physical unsteadiness shows in shaky movements or poor balance: The unsteadiness in her gait suggested she'd been drinking.
It extends to anything lacking firmness or consistency—unsteadiness of purpose, unsteadiness in the markets, unsteadiness of voice when emotions run high.
Unsteady side-to-side motion
- totterMove unsteadily, nearly falling
- teeterSway without stability
- staggerWalk unsteadily, sway
- swayRock back and forth
lurch · falter · stumble · topple · tilt · pitch · roll · list
Sensation of spinning
- lightheadednessSensation of near-fainting
- woozinessUnsteady, disoriented sensation
- giddinessLightheaded, excitable state
- faintnessVerge of swooning
disorientation · spinning · whirling · reeling · swoon · nausea · queasiness · motion sickness
Irregular change over time
- variabilityTendency to change
- irregularityDeparture from standard
- unpredictabilityState resisting forecasts
- volatilityRapid, unpredictable changeability
fickleness · erratic · unreliability · changeability · instability · wavering · inconstancy · unevenness
Persistent apprehensive distress
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- insecurityUncertainty about oneself
- doubtLack of firm belief
- hesitationDelay from uncertainty
nervousness · apprehension · trepidation · unease · vulnerability · indecision · wavering · vacillation
wobble
Unsteady side-to-side motion
sway · lurch · falter · stumble · topple · tilt · pitch · roll · list · slip
vertigo
Sensation of spinning
- lightheadednessSensation of near-fainting
- woozinessUnsteady, disoriented sensation
- giddinessLightheaded, excitable state
faintness · disorientation · spinning · whirling · reeling · swoon · nausea · queasiness · motion sickness · blackout
fluctuation
Irregular change over time
- variabilityTendency to change
- irregularityDeparture from standard
- unpredictabilityState resisting forecasts
volatility · fickleness · erratic · unreliability · changeability · instability · wavering · inconstancy · unevenness · shifting
anxiety
Persistent apprehensive distress
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- insecurityUncertainty about oneself
- doubtLack of firm belief
hesitation · nervousness · apprehension · trepidation · unease · vulnerability · indecision · wavering · vacillation · ambivalence
shaking
Rapid involuntary movement
- tremblingInvoluntary shaking motion
- quiveringShaking slightly and rapidly
- shiveringInvoluntary bodily trembling
twitching · jittering · vibration · oscillation · palpitation · flutter · spasm · shudder · judder · quake
- changeabilityvariability, mutability, fickleness, inconstancy, instability
- clumsinessclumsiness, clumsy, awkwardness, fumble, stumble
- disorientationconfusion, dizziness, vertigo, bewilderment, daze
- imbalanceimbalance, disequilibrium, disproportion, asymmetry, lopsidedness
- instabilityinstability, shakiness, wobbliness, precariousness, imbalance
- stabilitystable, firmness, unstable, equilibrium, balanced
unsteadinesssteadiness
State of being constant
stability · composure · constancy · equanimity · levelheadedness
unsteadinesspermanence
Quality of lasting indefinitely
stability · soundness · security · durability · fastness
steady, instead, stability, unsteady, steadfast, steadiness, steadying, steadies, unsteadied