'unreliably-guided' is a modern compound formed from the adverb 'unreliably' + the past participle 'guided'. 'Un-' is a negative prefix from Old English 'un-'. 'Unreliably' stems from 'reliably' (rely + -able); 'rely' entered Middle English from Old French forms related to 'relier' and ultimately traces to Latin roots meaning 'bind'. 'Guide' originates from Old French 'guider' (to lead or show the way).

'guide' came into Middle English from Old French 'guider' and developed into the modern English 'guide'. 'Rely' passed from Old French into Middle English and produced 'reliable' + the adverbial suffix -ly; the negative prefix 'un-' was then attached to form 'unreliable' and its adverb 'unreliably'. The compound 'unreliably-guided' is a straightforward modern combination of these elements to describe something guided in an unreliable way.

The core senses have been stable: 'guide' originally meant 'to show the way' and retains that sense in modern usage; 'rely' originally involved binding or depending and evolved to mean 'depend on', giving 'reliable' the sense 'dependable'. The compound simply applies the negative ('unreliably') to the act of being guided, producing the current meaning 'not guided in a dependable way.'