ill-equipped
Americanadjective
-
badly or inadequately equipped.
an ill-equipped army.
-
ill-prepared.
a student ill-equipped to begin calculus.
Etymology
Origin of ill-equipped
First recorded in 1955–60
Explanation
Someone or something that's ill-equipped isn't suited or prepared to do a certain task. If you faint at the sight of blood, you're probably ill-equipped to be a surgeon. Soldiers without weapons or armor are ill-equipped for battle, and if you don't have an umbrella or a raincoat, you're ill-equipped for walking to school in the pouring rain. You might also be emotionally or temperamentally ill-equipped. If you are afraid of heights, you are most likely ill-equipped to be a roofer. When someone's equipped, they have the proper equipment, and when you add the prefix ill-, it's clear they're lacking what they need.
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.
In hindsight, he said, the story of Rico, a teenager trying to measure up to the demands of fatherhood while being ill-equipped and lacking maturity to navigate the situation constructively, carried personal undertones.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
After two decades of nearly flat demand, it’s ill-equipped to handle the massive needs of data centers, which now consume 5% of the nation’s total power.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 17, 2026
As well as being ill-equipped for the challenges they faced on the field, the visitors seemed surprised by the hostile attention they received from the Australian media, particularly at the beginning of the tour.
From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026
We were approached by two hikers who were — teeth clattering incessantly and clothes soaked — ill-equipped for the evening.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025
Both of them overburdened and ill-equipped, weak by nature or circumstance, married to strong-willed, selfish men, addicted to the opiate of sleep.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
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.
