頼(たよ)りない

たよりない
i-adjective
unreliable; undependable; flimsy
descriptive
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present頼(たよ)りない頼(たよ)りなくない
Past頼(たよ)りなかった頼(たよ)りなくなかった
て form頼(たよ)りなくて頼(たよ)りなくなくて
Adverbial頼(たよ)りなく—
Conditional ば頼(たよ)りなければ頼(たよ)りなくなければ
Conditional たら頼(たよ)りなかったら頼(たよ)りなくなかったら
1. unreliable; undependable; unsteady
Describes a person, thing, or situation that does not inspire confidence and cannot be counted on.
彼(かれ)はちょっと頼(たよ)りない。
He's a bit unreliable.
頼(たよ)りない返事(へんじ)に不安(ふあん)を感(かん)じた。
I felt uneasy at the wishy-washy reply.
入社(にゅうしゃ)したばかりの頃(ころ)は頼(たよ)りなく見(み)えたが、今(いま)ではすっかり一人前(いちにんまえ)だ。
He seemed unreliable when he first joined the company, but now he's fully competent.

An i-adjective formed from 頼(たよ)り (reliance) + ない (not). Literally "not reliable."

Forms

  • Adverbial: 頼(たよ)りなく
  • Noun form: 頼(たよ)りなさ

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 頼(たよ)もしい: reliable, reassuring, dependable (opposite)
  • 頼(たよ)りになる: to be someone you can count on
  • 頼(たよ)りない: undependable, inspiring no confidence

Usage

Often used to describe people who seem inexperienced or lacking confidence, not necessarily those who break promises.

Related Words

Related: 頼(たよ)る (to rely on (verb))
Related: 頼(たよ)り (reliance (noun))
Compare: 頼(たよ)りになる (to be someone you can count on)
Compare: 心細(こころぼそ)い (anxious)
Compare: 心(こころ)もとない (unreliable)
Compare: 弱々(よわよわ)しい (frail, feeble, weak-looking)
general
Added 2026.3.2 18:29 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
14500/14635_tayorinai