ill-advised

adjective

ˌil-əd-ˈvīzd How to pronounce ill-advised (audio)
Definition of ill-advisednext
as in inappropriate
showing poor judgment especially in personal relationships or social situations an ill-advised criticism of the boss at a company function

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 ill-advised At age 33, there is reason to wonder if the season was simply a foreshadowing of Betts’ eventual decline, just as there was reason to wonder if his transition to shortstop was ill-advised. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2026 Ament’s lawyers are now pushing to withdraw his guilty plea, saying he’d been ill-advised by his previous counsel. — Victoria Le, Oc Register, 28 Feb. 2026 Plenty of unconventional solutions have sprung up as a result, from the ill-advised and frightening (please don’t scoop out your period) to the innocuous and accessible—like seed cycling, or, more recently, the period steak theory. — Audrey Bruno, SELF, 19 Feb. 2026 But others criticized Jackson, calling his action ill-timed and ill-advised. — Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ill-advised
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-advised
  1. inappropriate
  2. improper
  3. imprudent
  4. inadvisable
  5. injudicious
  6. unwise
  7. stupid
  8. careless
Adjective
  • The home, along Norris Avenue in the northern Arden-Arcade area, has sparked opposition from neighbors and local officials who say its location near multiple schools and in the middle of a residential neighborhood is inappropriate.
    — Carmela Karcher, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Hochman said Flores simply could have taken notes on the inappropriate comments and turned them in to superiors or the independent inspector general, which strikes me as either sweetly naive or disingenuous.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of inappropriate
Adjective
  • Issues include elevated pH levels,and improper signage, filters and ladders.
    — Abby Dodge, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • According to the Graves County Sheriff's Office, Flores, an employee at Graves County Middle School, is accused of having an improper relationship with a minor student in the district.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of improper
Adjective
  • The itinerants were all a bit peculiar, capable of making imprudent choices.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 July 2026
  • And this is Minsky’s point, that speculative excesses during euphoric, transformative periods result in imprudent financing, fragility, and instability.
    — Hersh Shefrin, Forbes.com, 4 June 2026
Definition of imprudent
Adjective
  • Many people, even those considerably older, posted things on social media that in hindsight were inadvisable.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Eating an entire bag in one sitting is inadvisable for nearly everyone.
    — Ryan Brennan June 5, Kansas City Star, 5 June 2026
Definition of inadvisable
Adjective
  • Let’s finish up by circling back to the beginning, when six injudicious justices ignored an eternal political truth.
    — Gerald Scorse, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • And again, many of the reforms backfired or proved injudicious, but some of them remain powerful to this day.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026
Definition of injudicious
Adjective
  • There is a desire for Forest to play with more intensity and higher up the pitch, but the new staff recognise that asking for too much change too quickly would be unwise.
    — Paul Taylor, New York Times, 28 July 2026
  • Needless to say, that would have been unwise for a city with a credit rating perched precariously just above junk status.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026
Definition of unwise
Adjective
  • The case that American leadership in this technology carries a genuine security dimension has never looked stupid to me.
    — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The women are in stupid costumes (Heather Gay is dressed as a leprechaun at one point) and yelling at one another for yet-unknown reasons.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of stupid
Adjective
  • Jaynes pleaded not guilty Monday to a felony count of leaving the scene of an accident causing property damage of more than $10,000 and a traffic violation of careless and prohibited driving.
    — Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 29 July 2026
  • Myers, however, threw a careless hit that concussed Matty Beniers during his rookie campaign, and Kraken fans have long remembered that sequence.
    — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of careless

Browse Nearby Words

ill
ill-advised
ill at ease
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Cite this Entry

“Ill-advised.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-advised. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of ill-advised for Spanish Speakers

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