ill-prepared

American

[il-pri-paird] / ˈɪl prɪˈpɛərd /

adjective

badly or inadequately prepared or trained.

ill-prepared job applicants; The hotel was ill-prepared for so many guests.

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.

Europe has wide "shortfalls" in its military capabilities which leave it "ill-prepared" as the war in Ukraine grinds on, a new report said Tuesday.

From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026

Gifted prospects are routinely sacrificed on crummy franchises ill-prepared to develop or even protect them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

In their study — titled “How Much Are Emergency Expenses for Retirees and Are They Prepared?” — researchers Manita Rao and Anqi Chen reached a sobering conclusion: Many retirees are ill-prepared to handle unexpected expenses.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 23, 2026

Being sloppy and ill-prepared is not how you get to the Super Bowl.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2025

Constance asked, launching into a tirade about how ill-prepared they were, how little time they had, and how this plan was giving her a worse headache than the hidden-message broadcasts did.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023