unbalanced 1 of 2

adjective

ˌən-ˈba-lən(t)st How to pronounce unbalanced (audio)
Definition of unbalancednext
1
as in unstable
not being in or able to maintain a state of balance in such an unbalanced political situation, the probability of war increases

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in psychotic
unable to think in a clear or sensible way horrific crimes that obviously were committed by a very unbalanced person

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

unbalanced

2 of 2

verb

past tense of unbalance
as in disturbed
to cause to go insane or as if insane the shock of the loss of his wife and children completely unbalanced him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unbalanced
Adjective
The result is a system that is increasingly incoherent and unbalanced. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 18 June 2026 In most cases, these insects feed on unbalanced diets, such as blood, plant sap, and grain, which tend to lack essential nutrients such as amino acids and vitamins that the endosymbiont provides. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 June 2026 But for a team hoping to go big-game hunting, the balance between what’s being acquired and what’s being given up looks greatly unbalanced — depending on the team making the offer sheet, of course. — Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 26 June 2026 Desperate to soothe symptoms caused by unbalanced hormones, women are turning to a TikTok trend that recommends combining allergy medication and antacids to treat conditions like PMS or menopause. — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for unbalanced
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unbalanced
  1. unstable
  2. psychotic
  3. disturbed
  4. insane
  5. confused
  6. mad
  7. distracted
  8. maniacal
Adjective
  • Relying on hand tools instead of heavy machinery, firefighters tunneled through unstable debris to rescue a security guard trapped for eight days.
    — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • In an unstable industry with IP, nepotism and maybe even now artificial intelligence ruling supreme, Ridd and Boa have doubled down on emerging filmmakers with original stories.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2026
Definition of unstable
Adjective
  • The defense argued that Bland had a psychotic episode due to a COVID infection.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026
  • The experience in question was a psychotic break that Murray endured in 2017 after spending several months involved with a wellness cult, coming to believe herself capable of powerful healing abilities.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 25 June 2026
Definition of psychotic
Verb
  • The location of the digging also could have disturbed another grave that may now be unmarked.
    — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026
  • Home to North America’s tallest mountain, Denali's six million acres of wilderness are disturbed by only one road.
    — Josh Laskin, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
Definition of disturbed
Adjective
  • For example, Fred Again is absolutely doing insane things with the MPC Lives.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 30 June 2026
  • That dwarfs anything the powerhouse Spain teams did in the early 2010s, when the team was known for stringing together an insane number of passes that led to a goal.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 29 June 2026
Definition of insane
Verb
  • Narcissism should never be confused with the healthy form of philautia, a unique Greek philosophy of self-love.
    — Gregory Stebbins, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • One workshop is a Mindful Archery class, not to be confused with her other course Meditative Archery, which involves Jungian journaling; and there’s a one-on-one archery session with spiritual guidance.
    — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of confused
Adjective
  • Getting mad about missing out on signing Anfernee Simons won’t change that.
    — Nick Friedell, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • When World Cup season descends upon soccer-mad Brazil, green and yellow banners decorate restaurants, bars and apartment buildings, streets are painted with flags and soccer balls, and discussions of the beloved national team's games are ubiquitous.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Definition of mad
Verb
  • Getting distracted by a late-stage bombshell would feel disingenuous at this point.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 1 July 2026
  • My will is scattered, directed toward many contradictory things, and easily distracted.
    — Meghan O’Gieblyn, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
Definition of distracted
Adjective
  • Erling Haaland, Norway’s large, maniacal striker, has several exceedingly Norwegian traits.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
  • The president as a maniacal urban planner is a white-knuckle ride, with Washington — and Washingtonians — just holding on for dear life.
    — Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 23 June 2026
Definition of maniacal

Browse Nearby Words

unbalance
unbalanced
unbalances
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unbalanced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unbalanced. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on unbalanced

Nglish: Translation of unbalanced for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All