ill-fitting

American  

[il-fit-ing] / ˈɪlˈfɪt ɪŋ /

adjective

1. (of a garment) not fitting well.

2. not appropriate or suitable.

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Etymology

Origin of ill-fitting

First recorded in 1865–70; ill ( def. ) + fitting ( def. )

Explanation

Clothes that are ill-fitting are too big or too small — or maybe too big in some places, and too small in others. Your ill-fitting pants may require a belt to keep them from falling down. An ill-fitting dress might be too short and too tight in the arms, and an ill-fitting suit might be big enough to fit two of you. When something fits, it's the proper size and shape for your body, and when it doesn't fit, it's ill-fitting. This adjective combines ill-, "badly" or "not well," with fitting, from the verb fit, "be fitting or proper" and "be the right shape."

Example Sentences

Instead, gazing back at me was a 44-year-old mom in an ill-fitting fleece, the style just as unflattering as it was all those years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

There were men in leather jackets, women in bedazzled red hats, young guys in ill-fitting suits.

From Slate • Dec. 8, 2025

In others, he’s an imp hiding within an ill-fitting costume of normalcy.

From Salon • Oct. 13, 2025

In the end, it was the most ill-fitting of send-offs.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2025

I can remember as though I wore it still my comfortable, ill-fitting flannel suit, and how the skirt was lighter than the coat through harder wear.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Related Words

• annoying
• awkward
• bitter
• difficult
• distressing
• hard
• harsh
• troublesome