unsureadj.

Brit.

/(ˌ)ʌnˈʃʊə/,

/(ˌ)ʌnˈʃɔː/, U.S.

/ˌənˈʃʊ(ə)r/

Etymology: un- prefix¹ 1.

a. Not safe against attack or mishap; liable to danger or risk; exposed to hazard or peril; insecure.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > [adjective] > exposed to danger

unsurea1400

periclitate1525

dangeredc1604

endangered1609

unsafea1616

perdua1625

insecure1655

imperilled1656

unsecure1656

naufrageous1694

perilled1819

jeopardized1864

periculant1882

at-risk1965

a1400–50 Alexander 2136 Bot, for þe cite was vnsure, þe seggis within Miȝt noȝt þe braidis a-bide of bernes enarmed.

c1520 in Yorks. Archæol. Jrnl. (1892) 12 208 Who that puttith his trust in them I call hym most unsure.

a1542 T. Wyatt Coll. Poems (1969) ccxxxii. 12 There is a Rot..of suche nature That drawithe the yron from the woode And levithe the shippe vnsure.

1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Irelande ii. 65/2 in Chron. I In Wales..he found hys defence so weake, and vnsure, that [etc.].

1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. ix. 345 [They] had seene by experience..how unsure a cittie they inhabited and not unpregnable.

a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Henry IV cclii, in Poems (1878) IV. 64 Hee knew his Claime, and how vnsure he sate Midst many enimies.

b. Not affording or conducive to safety; lacking in security; unsafe, liable to yield or give way.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > [adjective] > insecure

unfastc888

unsure1426

unassuredc1430

unstable1565

insecurea1808

1426 J. Lydgate tr. G. de Guileville Pilgrimage Life Man 13355 Placys that be most peryllous,..Most dredful and most vnsure, Ther I logge, off nature.

c1530 T. More Let. Impugnynge J. Fryth in Wks. 842/2 If ye will..deale surely for youre self, ye should rather leaue your vnsure waye whiche ye belieue, and come..to beleue as we doe.

a1547 Earl of Surrey tr. Virgil Certain Bks. Aenæis (1557) ii. sig. Aii Now but a bay, and rode vnsure for ship.

1588 in D. Masson Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1881) 1st Ser. IV. 299 Throw the multitude of deidlie feidis and unsure passage.

1609 P. Holland tr. Ammianus Marcellinus Rom. Hist. 201 Neither is it possible..to set firme footing upon the ground, so unsure it is and slipperie.

a1661 B. Holyday tr. Juvenal Satyres (1673) 232 The ship..made but of unsure or dangerous planks.

1727 P. Walker Some Remarkable Passages Semple, Welwood & Cameron 75 A very louse unsure Foundation.

1775 E. Burke Speech Amer. Taxation 44 It was indeed a very curious show; but utterly unsafe to touch, and unsure to stand on.

1830 A. Cunningham Lives Brit. Painters (ed. 2) II. 200 It seems they make unsure work at that church.

1867 G. MacDonald Ann. Quiet Neighbourhood I. vi,. 148 Down the oak staircase..[I] came very deliberately, feeling the unsure contact of sole and wax.

2. Marked or characterized by uncertainty or unsteadfastness; dependent on chance or accident; liable to fail; uncertain, precarious.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > [adjective]

orrathc1175

unsicker?c1225

doubtousc1374

doubtive1393

unsurec1412

uncertained1470

doubtful1509

unassured1528

scriple?a1534

unpersuadeda1535

uncertainc1540

scrupulous1559

unsatisfied1575

unresolved1587

incertaina1616

dubious1632

scrupling1641

hesitant1647

insecure1649

hesitatious1657

uncleara1658

groping1691

doubting1715

dubitative1728

gingerish1764

vague1806

duberous1818

dubitant1821

undecided1828

inconclusive1836

foreheadless1844

titubant1880

convictionless1882

swithering1917

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > unreliability > [adjective]

unsicker?c1225

uncertaina1382

unsadc1384

untristya1387

untrustya1387

unsurec1412

falliblec1425

slipperc1430

ficklea1450

frivol1488

slidder?a1500

casuala1535

slippery1548

slippy1548

failable1561

doubtful1562

lubricious1584

slope1587

queasy1589

unconfirmedc1592

nice1598

catching1603

loose1603

precary1606

ambiguous1612

treacherous1612

unsafe1615

unsureda1616

precarious1626

lubric1631

dubious1635

lubricous1646

unestablished1646

unfixed1654

unsecure?a1685

unreliable1810

unproven1836

untrustworthy1846

shady1848

wobbly1877

Kaffir1899

independable1921

dodgy1961

temperamental1962

c1412 T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum 16 Bysily in my mynde I gan revolue The welthe onsure of everye creature.

c1430 J. Lydgate Minor Poems (Percy Soc.) 197 The world unsuyr, fortune transmutable.

c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 560 Vnperfit men..ouȝten chese ful ofte the sikerer and surer good to hem bifore the vnsurer good.

1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. xviii^v He that is symple, and on the grounde doth lye,..Is surer by moche than he that lyeth on hye. Nowe vp, nowe downe vnsure as a Balaunce.

1559 W. Baldwin et al. Myrroure for Magistrates B j Ryches and promocion be vaine thynges and vnsure.

1584 C. Robinson et al. Handefull Pleasant Delites (new ed.) sig. Dii^v Such bitter fruit thy loue doth yeelde,..such hope vnsure.

1613 T. Adams White Deuil 36 Their dwelling like Cains, [is] very vnsure.

1629 J. Maxwell tr. Herodian Hist. 108 Holding it a sufficient guerdon of an vnsure Soueraignty.

1643 R. Baker Chron. Kings of Eng. iii. 82 King Edward supposing his state to be most safe, when indeed it was most unsure.

1715 A. Pope Temple of Fame 43 Unsure the Tenure, but how vast the Fine!

1755 Connoisseur No. 50. 296 Whose houses are as unsure a possession, as if they were built with cards.

1835 T. Aird in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Feb. 189 Old dragon Erc must we secure;..our scheme were else unsure.

1873 M. Arnold Lit. & Dogma v. 138 The moral is, what an unsure stay, then, must miracles be!

a. Of persons, etc.: Not to be trusted or relied upon; unreliable, untrustworthy.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > unreliability > [adjective] > of persons

slipperc1000

ficklea1275

untristya1387

flickering1430

untrusty1430

slidingc1435

unsurec1445

untraistc1485

unassure1531

slippery1555

untraisty1567

untrustful1569

unresponsable1619

uncanny1639

fair-weather1677

unresponsible1764

independable1802

unreliable1810

untrustworthy1846

undependable1860

incalculable1876

slithery1902

wonky1919

doubtful1925

c1445 R. Pecock Donet 208 Þou schalt considre..how brotyl, vnsure a wrecche þou art.

a1470 J. Hardyng Chron. Ded. v That people..Hath..been so vntowarde, So vnstedfast, inconstaunte, and vnsure, That [etc.].

a1470 J. Hardyng Chron. xxxix. viii [Catellus] Tenne yere reigned,..And dyed so vnder his vnsure deité.

1564 T. Palfreyman Baldwin's Treat. Moral Philos. (new ed.) f. 122 He is..deceiptfull, of his promise vnsure.

1610 J. Healey tr. J. L. Vives in tr. St. Augustine Citie of God xi. xxvi. 430 The sences are their weake, dull and vnsure teachers.

1635 T. Heywood Hierarchie Blessed Angells vi. 331 Than th' Heart of man..There's nothing more inconstant and vnsure.

1653 H. Holcroft tr. Procopius Gothick Warre iv. 145 in tr. Procopius Hist. Warres Justinian If we prove unsure to them, we shall not be trusty to you.

1790 E. Burke Refl. Revol. in France 94 They are always bad citizens, and perfectly unsure connexions.

1807 S. T. Coleridge Lett. (1895) 513 Which sures are such very unsure folks that [etc.].

1867 A. C. Swinburne Songs before Sunrise (1871) 58 Though she slay them, yet shall they trust in her, For unsure there is nought nor unjust in her.

1888 R. L. Stevenson Black Arrow Prol. 21 Keep an eye on Sir Daniel; he is unsure.

†b. Weak, feeble. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > bodily constitution > bodily weakness > [adjective]

wokec897

unstronga900

unmightyeOE

feeblec1175

strengthlessc1175

unwieldc1220

weaka1300

frailc1384

unwieldyc1386

unthendec1425

dissolutec1450

unsure?a1475

feyc1475

simple1477

unfirm1483

unsinewed?1541

wash1548

weakling1557

ladylike1566

silly1567

water weak1592

washya1631

wankle1686

foible1715

unmuscular1725

nerveless1792

wankly1795

shilpit1813

wankya1825

sinewless1829

weedy-looking1835

queachy1859

insubstantiala1861

paper-backed1888

weak-fleshed1967

?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1876) VI. 51 Grawntynge to theyme a lytelle wyne..thro the whiche the unsure flesche [L. caro infirma] scholde be noryschede.

4. Subject to doubt or uncertainty; not fixed, sure, or certain; doubtful.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > insecure knowledge, uncertainty > [adjective]

uncouthc897

uncertaina1325

non-certaina1425

unsurec1445

incertaina1492

uncert1543

ancipitous1652

unsecure?a1685

equivocal1769

problematical1770

screwed-up1942

c1445 R. Pecock Donet 107 If in dyuynite were no strenger groundis..dyuynite were a symple and an vnsure faculte.

a1535 T. More Treat. Passion in Wks. (1557) 1279/2 Sure sory looking, for the vnsure time of deathe.

a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) i. iv. sig. C7^v A thing no more vnpleasant, then vnsure, for the preseruing of vertue.

1595 S. Daniel First Fowre Bks. Ciuile Warres ii. iv. sig. G2^v That in the smoake of innouations strange Build huge vncertaine plots of vnsure pride.

1612 R. Carpenter Soules Sentinel 90 The speedy approach of death, sure in the end, vnsure in the time.

1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica ii. vi. 100 It will be unsure to rely on any preservative.

1691 Weesils ii. 10 Conquest unsure made you refuse before.

1849 G. Cupples Green Hand xiv In the unsure dusky sight I had of it, certainly, it [sc. a landmark] wore somewhat of that look.

a. Of persons, etc.: Lacking certainty, assurance, or confidence; not sure, assured, or certainly knowing; uncertain. Const. of, for, to, or with clause.

ΚΠ

1412–20 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy iv. 2144 She wolde for no þing be vnsure Of puruyaunce, nor with-oute stoor.

a1461 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 241 Ful unsewyr atte the laste may he be To sette hys herte in swyche abundaunce.

a1535 T. More Dialoge of Comfort (1553) i. vi. sig. B.iii So blind is our mortalitie.., so vnsure also what maner mind we wyl haue to morow.

c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 11540 And now is nedfull for noye..All my gold for to geue,..Kepid in hurd, holdyn full long;..And I vnsure of my-self, my sorow is the more.

1564 Feckenham Let. to Cecil in J. Strype Ann. Reformation (1709) xlv. 460 Being always after unsure, how, or by what means, he might be..knit thereunto again.

1579 G. Fenton tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Guicciardin i. 15 He is..of nothing more vnsure then to find remedy in his perils.

1595 S. Daniel First Fowre Bks. Ciuile Warres ii. xlvii. sig. I2 And here my sou'raigne to make longer stay T' attend for what you are vnsure will fall May slippe th' occasion and incense their will.

1598 Chaucers Dreame in T. Speght Wks. G. Chaucer f. 363/2 Wild beasts..ran as of their liues vnsure.

a1618 W. Raleigh Observ. (1651) 56 Numbers of people that were..thrust out of their habitations, or unsafe, or unsure for their lives.

1628 Bp. J. Hall Olde Relig. xiv. iii. 147 That God euer heares vs, wee are as sure, as wee are vnsure to be heard of Saints.

1679 in R. Wodrow Hist. Sufferings Church of Scotl. (1722) II. App. xviii. 18 Not finding it fit to unhinge himself of the one Party, while he was yet unsure of the other.

a1850 D. G. Rossetti Dante & Circle (1874) 49 Thus, being all unsure which path to take.

1855 Sir J. Paget in Mem. & Lett. (1901) 209 I am unsure whether I can ever again have time.

1884 Á. Vámbéry Life & Adventures vii. 61 Unsure of my discovery I did not address him.

b. Without const.

ΚΠ

a1536 W. Tyndale in J. Marbeck Bk. of Notes (1581) 366 For then shall the conscience be vnsure, doubting [etc.].

a1544 H. Latimer Let. in J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (1563) 1327/1 If they saye they bee vnsure, when shall you bee sure that hathe so doubtefull teachers and vnsure?

1598 Chaucers Dreame in T. Speght Wks. G. Chaucer f. 359^v/1 Thus was I in a ioyous dout Sure and vnsurest of that rout.

1624 T. Heywood Γυναικεῖον iv. 193 A man within himselfe unsure.

1896 ‘Iota’ Quaker Grandmother 155 His mother looked as meek and unsure as a grocer's widow.

6. Marked or characterized by lack of sureness, assurance, or certainty.

ΚΠ

1633 P. Fletcher Purple Island viii. xiii. 110 With him went Doubt, stagg'ring with steps unsure, That every way, and neither way enclin'd.

1829 A. Cunningham Lives Brit. Painters I. 207 His touch was unsure and he painted somewhat coarsely.

1867 M. Arnold New Poems 132 Light ignorance, and hurrying, unsure thoughts.

1883 R. W. Dixon Mano ii. i. 66 Never would he..His friend forsake, or make his faith unsure.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

单词	unsure
释义	unsureadj. Brit. /(ˌ)ʌnˈʃʊə/, /(ˌ)ʌnˈʃɔː/, U.S. /ˌənˈʃʊ(ə)r/ Etymology: un- prefix¹ 1. 1. a. Not safe against attack or mishap; liable to danger or risk; exposed to hazard or peril; insecure. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > [adjective] > exposed to danger unsurea1400 periclitate1525 dangeredc1604 endangered1609 unsafea1616 perdua1625 insecure1655 imperilled1656 unsecure1656 naufrageous1694 perilled1819 jeopardized1864 periculant1882 at-risk1965 a1400–50 Alexander 2136 Bot, for þe cite was vnsure, þe seggis within Miȝt noȝt þe braidis a-bide of bernes enarmed. c1520 in Yorks. Archæol. Jrnl. (1892) 12 208 Who that puttith his trust in them I call hym most unsure. a1542 T. Wyatt Coll. Poems (1969) ccxxxii. 12 There is a Rot..of suche nature That drawithe the yron from the woode And levithe the shippe vnsure. 1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Irelande ii. 65/2 in Chron. I In Wales..he found hys defence so weake, and vnsure, that [etc.]. 1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. ix. 345 [They] had seene by experience..how unsure a cittie they inhabited and not unpregnable. a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Henry IV cclii, in Poems (1878) IV. 64 Hee knew his Claime, and how vnsure he sate Midst many enimies. b. Not affording or conducive to safety; lacking in security; unsafe, liable to yield or give way. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > [adjective] > insecure unfastc888 unsure1426 unassuredc1430 unstable1565 insecurea1808 1426 J. Lydgate tr. G. de Guileville Pilgrimage Life Man 13355 Placys that be most peryllous,..Most dredful and most vnsure, Ther I logge, off nature. c1530 T. More Let. Impugnynge J. Fryth in Wks. 842/2 If ye will..deale surely for youre self, ye should rather leaue your vnsure waye whiche ye belieue, and come..to beleue as we doe. a1547 Earl of Surrey tr. Virgil Certain Bks. Aenæis (1557) ii. sig. Aii Now but a bay, and rode vnsure for ship. 1588 in D. Masson Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1881) 1st Ser. IV. 299 Throw the multitude of deidlie feidis and unsure passage. 1609 P. Holland tr. Ammianus Marcellinus Rom. Hist. 201 Neither is it possible..to set firme footing upon the ground, so unsure it is and slipperie. a1661 B. Holyday tr. Juvenal Satyres (1673) 232 The ship..made but of unsure or dangerous planks. 1727 P. Walker Some Remarkable Passages Semple, Welwood & Cameron 75 A very louse unsure Foundation. 1775 E. Burke Speech Amer. Taxation 44 It was indeed a very curious show; but utterly unsafe to touch, and unsure to stand on. 1830 A. Cunningham Lives Brit. Painters (ed. 2) II. 200 It seems they make unsure work at that church. 1867 G. MacDonald Ann. Quiet Neighbourhood I. vi,. 148 Down the oak staircase..[I] came very deliberately, feeling the unsure contact of sole and wax. 2. Marked or characterized by uncertainty or unsteadfastness; dependent on chance or accident; liable to fail; uncertain, precarious. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > [adjective] orrathc1175 unsicker?c1225 doubtousc1374 doubtive1393 unsurec1412 uncertained1470 doubtful1509 unassured1528 scriple?a1534 unpersuadeda1535 uncertainc1540 scrupulous1559 unsatisfied1575 unresolved1587 incertaina1616 dubious1632 scrupling1641 hesitant1647 insecure1649 hesitatious1657 uncleara1658 groping1691 doubting1715 dubitative1728 gingerish1764 vague1806 duberous1818 dubitant1821 undecided1828 inconclusive1836 foreheadless1844 titubant1880 convictionless1882 swithering1917 the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > unreliability > [adjective] unsicker?c1225 uncertaina1382 unsadc1384 untristya1387 untrustya1387 unsurec1412 falliblec1425 slipperc1430 ficklea1450 frivol1488 slidder?a1500 casuala1535 slippery1548 slippy1548 failable1561 doubtful1562 lubricious1584 slope1587 queasy1589 unconfirmedc1592 nice1598 catching1603 loose1603 precary1606 ambiguous1612 treacherous1612 unsafe1615 unsureda1616 precarious1626 lubric1631 dubious1635 lubricous1646 unestablished1646 unfixed1654 unsecure?a1685 unreliable1810 unproven1836 untrustworthy1846 shady1848 wobbly1877 Kaffir1899 independable1921 dodgy1961 temperamental1962 c1412 T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum 16 Bysily in my mynde I gan revolue The welthe onsure of everye creature. c1430 J. Lydgate Minor Poems (Percy Soc.) 197 The world unsuyr, fortune transmutable. c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 560 Vnperfit men..ouȝten chese ful ofte the sikerer and surer good to hem bifore the vnsurer good. 1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. xviii^v He that is symple, and on the grounde doth lye,..Is surer by moche than he that lyeth on hye. Nowe vp, nowe downe vnsure as a Balaunce. 1559 W. Baldwin et al. Myrroure for Magistrates B j Ryches and promocion be vaine thynges and vnsure. 1584 C. Robinson et al. Handefull Pleasant Delites (new ed.) sig. Dii^v Such bitter fruit thy loue doth yeelde,..such hope vnsure. 1613 T. Adams White Deuil 36 Their dwelling like Cains, [is] very vnsure. 1629 J. Maxwell tr. Herodian Hist. 108 Holding it a sufficient guerdon of an vnsure Soueraignty. 1643 R. Baker Chron. Kings of Eng. iii. 82 King Edward supposing his state to be most safe, when indeed it was most unsure. 1715 A. Pope Temple of Fame 43 Unsure the Tenure, but how vast the Fine! 1755 Connoisseur No. 50. 296 Whose houses are as unsure a possession, as if they were built with cards. 1835 T. Aird in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Feb. 189 Old dragon Erc must we secure;..our scheme were else unsure. 1873 M. Arnold Lit. & Dogma v. 138 The moral is, what an unsure stay, then, must miracles be! 3. a. Of persons, etc.: Not to be trusted or relied upon; unreliable, untrustworthy. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > unreliability > [adjective] > of persons slipperc1000 ficklea1275 untristya1387 flickering1430 untrusty1430 slidingc1435 unsurec1445 untraistc1485 unassure1531 slippery1555 untraisty1567 untrustful1569 unresponsable1619 uncanny1639 fair-weather1677 unresponsible1764 independable1802 unreliable1810 untrustworthy1846 undependable1860 incalculable1876 slithery1902 wonky1919 doubtful1925 c1445 R. Pecock Donet 208 Þou schalt considre..how brotyl, vnsure a wrecche þou art. a1470 J. Hardyng Chron. Ded. v That people..Hath..been so vntowarde, So vnstedfast, inconstaunte, and vnsure, That [etc.]. a1470 J. Hardyng Chron. xxxix. viii [Catellus] Tenne yere reigned,..And dyed so vnder his vnsure deité. 1564 T. Palfreyman Baldwin's Treat. Moral Philos. (new ed.) f. 122 He is..deceiptfull, of his promise vnsure. 1610 J. Healey tr. J. L. Vives in tr. St. Augustine Citie of God xi. xxvi. 430 The sences are their weake, dull and vnsure teachers. 1635 T. Heywood Hierarchie Blessed Angells vi. 331 Than th' Heart of man..There's nothing more inconstant and vnsure. 1653 H. Holcroft tr. Procopius Gothick Warre iv. 145 in tr. Procopius Hist. Warres Justinian If we prove unsure to them, we shall not be trusty to you. 1790 E. Burke Refl. Revol. in France 94 They are always bad citizens, and perfectly unsure connexions. View more context for this quotation 1807 S. T. Coleridge Lett. (1895) 513 Which sures are such very unsure folks that [etc.]. 1867 A. C. Swinburne Songs before Sunrise (1871) 58 Though she slay them, yet shall they trust in her, For unsure there is nought nor unjust in her. 1888 R. L. Stevenson Black Arrow Prol. 21 Keep an eye on Sir Daniel; he is unsure. †b. Weak, feeble. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > bodily constitution > bodily weakness > [adjective] wokec897 unstronga900 unmightyeOE feeblec1175 strengthlessc1175 unwieldc1220 weaka1300 frailc1384 unwieldyc1386 unthendec1425 dissolutec1450 unsure?a1475 feyc1475 simple1477 unfirm1483 unsinewed?1541 wash1548 weakling1557 ladylike1566 silly1567 water weak1592 washya1631 wankle1686 foible1715 unmuscular1725 nerveless1792 wankly1795 shilpit1813 wankya1825 sinewless1829 weedy-looking1835 queachy1859 insubstantiala1861 paper-backed1888 weak-fleshed1967 ?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1876) VI. 51 Grawntynge to theyme a lytelle wyne..thro the whiche the unsure flesche [L. caro infirma] scholde be noryschede. 4. Subject to doubt or uncertainty; not fixed, sure, or certain; doubtful. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > insecure knowledge, uncertainty > [adjective] uncouthc897 uncertaina1325 non-certaina1425 unsurec1445 incertaina1492 uncert1543 ancipitous1652 unsecure?a1685 equivocal1769 problematical1770 screwed-up1942 c1445 R. Pecock Donet 107 If in dyuynite were no strenger groundis..dyuynite were a symple and an vnsure faculte. a1535 T. More Treat. Passion in Wks. (1557) 1279/2 Sure sory looking, for the vnsure time of deathe. a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) i. iv. sig. C7^v A thing no more vnpleasant, then vnsure, for the preseruing of vertue. 1595 S. Daniel First Fowre Bks. Ciuile Warres ii. iv. sig. G2^v That in the smoake of innouations strange Build huge vncertaine plots of vnsure pride. 1612 R. Carpenter Soules Sentinel 90 The speedy approach of death, sure in the end, vnsure in the time. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica ii. vi. 100 It will be unsure to rely on any preservative. View more context for this quotation 1691 Weesils ii. 10 Conquest unsure made you refuse before. 1849 G. Cupples Green Hand xiv In the unsure dusky sight I had of it, certainly, it [sc. a landmark] wore somewhat of that look. 5. a. Of persons, etc.: Lacking certainty, assurance, or confidence; not sure, assured, or certainly knowing; uncertain. Const. of, for, to, or with clause. ΚΠ 1412–20 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy iv. 2144 She wolde for no þing be vnsure Of puruyaunce, nor with-oute stoor. a1461 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 241 Ful unsewyr atte the laste may he be To sette hys herte in swyche abundaunce. a1535 T. More Dialoge of Comfort (1553) i. vi. sig. B.iii So blind is our mortalitie.., so vnsure also what maner mind we wyl haue to morow. c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 11540 And now is nedfull for noye..All my gold for to geue,..Kepid in hurd, holdyn full long;..And I vnsure of my-self, my sorow is the more. 1564 Feckenham Let. to Cecil in J. Strype Ann. Reformation (1709) xlv. 460 Being always after unsure, how, or by what means, he might be..knit thereunto again. 1579 G. Fenton tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Guicciardin i. 15 He is..of nothing more vnsure then to find remedy in his perils. 1595 S. Daniel First Fowre Bks. Ciuile Warres ii. xlvii. sig. I2 And here my sou'raigne to make longer stay T' attend for what you are vnsure will fall May slippe th' occasion and incense their will. 1598 Chaucers Dreame in T. Speght Wks. G. Chaucer f. 363/2 Wild beasts..ran as of their liues vnsure. a1618 W. Raleigh Observ. (1651) 56 Numbers of people that were..thrust out of their habitations, or unsafe, or unsure for their lives. 1628 Bp. J. Hall Olde Relig. xiv. iii. 147 That God euer heares vs, wee are as sure, as wee are vnsure to be heard of Saints. 1679 in R. Wodrow Hist. Sufferings Church of Scotl. (1722) II. App. xviii. 18 Not finding it fit to unhinge himself of the one Party, while he was yet unsure of the other. a1850 D. G. Rossetti Dante & Circle (1874) 49 Thus, being all unsure which path to take. 1855 Sir J. Paget in Mem. & Lett. (1901) 209 I am unsure whether I can ever again have time. 1884 Á. Vámbéry Life & Adventures vii. 61 Unsure of my discovery I did not address him. b. Without const. ΚΠ a1536 W. Tyndale in J. Marbeck Bk. of Notes (1581) 366 For then shall the conscience be vnsure, doubting [etc.]. a1544 H. Latimer Let. in J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (1563) 1327/1 If they saye they bee vnsure, when shall you bee sure that hathe so doubtefull teachers and vnsure? 1598 Chaucers Dreame in T. Speght Wks. G. Chaucer f. 359^v/1 Thus was I in a ioyous dout Sure and vnsurest of that rout. 1624 T. Heywood Γυναικεῖον iv. 193 A man within himselfe unsure. 1896 ‘Iota’ Quaker Grandmother 155 His mother looked as meek and unsure as a grocer's widow. 6. Marked or characterized by lack of sureness, assurance, or certainty. ΚΠ 1633 P. Fletcher Purple Island viii. xiii. 110 With him went Doubt, stagg'ring with steps unsure, That every way, and neither way enclin'd. 1829 A. Cunningham Lives Brit. Painters I. 207 His touch was unsure and he painted somewhat coarsely. 1867 M. Arnold New Poems 132 Light ignorance, and hurrying, unsure thoughts. 1883 R. W. Dixon Mano ii. i. 66 Never would he..His friend forsake, or make his faith unsure. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < adj.a1400
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