'inconsistently-driven' originates from a modern English compound of the adverb 'inconsistently' and the past participle 'driven'. 'inconsistently' itself comes from Latin-derived 'in-' (not) + 'consistent(ly)' from 'consistere' meaning 'to stand together', and 'driven' comes from Old English 'drīfan' meaning 'to drive' (past participle 'driven').

'inconsistently' developed from Latin 'in-' + Medieval/Old French and Latin forms of 'consistent', while 'driven' evolved from Old English 'drīfan' through Middle English into modern English 'drive/driven'. The compound form 'inconsistently-driven' is a recent, transparent English formation combining an adverb + past participle to form an adjectival phrase.

Initially, 'driven' primarily meant 'physically pushed or compelled', but over time it also acquired figurative senses of 'motivated' or 'directed'. The compound originally would have described uneven physical driving; now it is often used figuratively to describe irregular motivation or policy.