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.
Of course, even he can get riled up by ill-timed laughter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
It was this history, and an ill-timed price cut by the Seven Sisters in 1959, that gave impetus to OPEC.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
But others criticized Jackson, calling his action ill-timed and ill-advised.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 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
And then we've run out of conversation again, and it’s so strange the way an ill-timed kiss can make someone feel like a stranger.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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.
