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Synonyms

ill-timed

American  
[il-tahymd] / ˈɪlˈtaɪmd /

adjective

  1. badly timed; inopportune.


ill-timed British  

adjective

  1. occurring at or planned for an unsuitable time

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

See Examples For:

By their seven ill-timed penalties for 64 yards.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 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

BP is funneling investments into its traditional fossil-fuel business after an ill-timed move into renewable sources of energy hit profits and led to multibillion dollar write-downs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 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

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