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
- ill-advisedly adverb
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.
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.
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
But others criticized Jackson, calling his action ill-timed and ill-advised.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026
That would comport with his recent complaints about the valuation of artificial-intelligence-themed stocks, as well as his simple but ill-advised Jan. 31, 2023 post that simply read “sell.”
From MarketWatch • Nov. 13, 2025
Within a very short time, however, she learned the truth, and she was ill-advised enough to threaten him.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
