ill-conceived
Americanadjective
Explanation
An ill-conceived idea is one that hasn't been carefully considered. Your ill-conceived plan to ride your skateboard from New York to California is bound to turn out badly. When you don't spend enough time planning or thinking things through, the result is likely to be an ill-conceived scheme of some kind. Ill-conceived laws tend to have unfortunate effects that lawmakers didn't expect, and ill-conceived movie scripts result in films whose plots make no logical sense. Something that's conceived is thought of, planned, or imagined, and when you add the prefix ill, you get something that's planned badly.
Vocabulary lists containing ill-conceived
Internment
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Faithful Spy
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Moon Over Manifest
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
"The whole thing was stupid and ill-conceived," says Steve Grant, co-host of the Total Saints podcast.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
“The fact that we have not died should not be considered a validation of ill-conceived decisions that were unlawful.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 2026
There were also whispers that Gehry, in an effort to recapture the Bilbao magic, was chasing ill-conceived museum commissions around the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025
As Reisner details in Cadillac Desert, in the late 1970s, President Jimmy Carter tried to kill 18 dam projects that seemed especially ill-conceived.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2024
Covered with graffiti, perhaps, or even an ill-conceived coat of paint, but underneath it all the glow of the White City persists.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
