ill-timed
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of ill-timed
First recorded in 1685–95
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.
Manifold’s abrupt departure is a blow for BP, a storied yet often troubled energy producer that is aiming to reinvigorate its fossil-fuel business after an ill-timed turn toward renewable energy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
Southwest Airlines ended its fuel hedging program in early 2025, a decision now seen as ill-timed given current market conditions.
From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026
Economist Ed Yardeni dubbed this the “front-cover curse” — when financial magazines publish ill-timed covers that in hindsight mark peak optimism or pessimism.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 6, 2026
But dwelling too long on that can foster misplaced faith and ill-timed complacency.
From Slate ● Jan. 6, 2026
If a lifetime as the son of the fighter pilot had taught him one thing, it was that he knew instinctively the meaning of this ill-timed visitation: This was a promenade of ruin.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
