ill-advised
Americanadjective
adjective
-
acting without reasonable care or thought
you would be ill-advised to sell your house now
-
badly thought out; not or insufficiently considered
an ill-advised plan of action
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ill-advised
First recorded in 1585–95
Explanation
An ill-advised decision is one that isn't smart or thoughtful. It would be ill-advised to adopt all the dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs from your local animal shelter — especially without consulting your family members first. This adjective is basically a polite way to say "just plain stupid." Political commentators may judiciously criticize a policy decision as ill-advised if they think it's a bad idea. Your mom might respond to your brother's request to let his pet chicken sleep in bed with him by calmly saying, "That would be ill-advised." The word implies that you've been given bad advice, which may be true, but it's generally your own recklessness that leads you to do something ill-advised.
Vocabulary lists containing ill-advised
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Kobbie Mainoo: Caught in possession on too many occasions, even if the passes he was receiving inside his own half were ill-advised.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
"Given everything happening with safety, right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public, and we don't feel pressure on that," Altman told Fortune business magazine on Friday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Adam Posen, the president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said Bessent’s posturing was ill-advised.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Guevara-Prete says the downturn caused her to lay off most of her eight employees, and ultimately, she found herself taking out a few ill-advised business loans with less-than-favorable interest rates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
North of Copenhagen is the city of Elsinore, home to the castle where Hamlet takes place, with its wandering ghosts, ill-advised eavesdropping behind the drapes, conversations with skulls, and deadly duels in iambic pentameter.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
