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.
Adam Posen, the president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said Bessent’s posturing was ill-advised.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
“It’s going to be hard to make the case that this was ill-advised because the story turned out so well.”
From Slate ● May 5, 2026
For their part, European leaders have come out staunchly against a war they weren’t consulted on, and which they see as both illegal and ill-advised.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026
But a series of ill-advised comments, most recently dismissing ballet and opera as art forms that "no one cares about," have seen the 30-year-old golden boy's chances plummet.
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026
No obviously bad effects were noticed from these ill-advised unions, but one or two old maids or gardener boys marked a weakening of faculties and a disposition toward eccentricity in some of the children.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
