I. “+ transitive verb
Etymology: un- (II) + steady
: to make unsteady
joy unsteadies his voice
the drop in ammunition unsteadied the artillery action
he was unsteadied by the sudden turn of events
II. adjective
Etymology: un- (I) + steady, adjective
: not steady: as
a. : not firm or solid : not fixed in position
the man's hand was unsteady as he poured the wine — George Meredith
climbing carefully up the unsteady ladder
b. : unstable b(1)
were excited and unsteady and … required time to collect themselves — J.A.Froude
his mind becomes unsteady in a crisis
c. : marked by change or fluctuation : changeable
a new and yet unsteady world of discovery, hope, failure, glory — H.A.L.Craig
unsteady business conditions
this unsteady time
d. : not uniform or even : irregular
the gas jet … threw an unsteady light on her features — Ellen Glasgow
the lady feels her pulse's beat unsteady — Elinor Wylie
a decade … of somewhat unsteady growth — F.A.Ogg & Harold Zink