inopportune
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does inopportune mean? Inopportune means inappropriate, unfavorable, or unsuitable for a particular situation or occasion. It can also mean coming at the wrong time. The terms untimely and poorly-timed mean the same thing. Inopportune is especially used in the phrases inopportune moment and inopportune time, meaning the moment that’s least suitable or favorable (for something to happen or be done). Inopportune is the opposite is opportune, which means appropriate, favorable, or suitable for a particular situation or occasion. It can also mean coming at the right time—timely or well-timed. Example: The audit was very inopportune—it came at the worst possible time.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inopportune
From the Late Latin word inopportūnus, dating back to 1525–35. See in- 3, opportune
Explanation
Since the meaning of "opportune" is "favorable" or "well-timed," it's easy to guess that the meaning of inopportune means something that is ill-timed or inappropriate. That little prefix in- means "not," and it totally turns the meaning of a word around. Think of the Latin word opportunus, which means "fitting" or "opportune." When you add in- in front of it, or any word, you give the word the opposite meaning. That's the history of the word inopportune, which has been used since the early 16th century to describe something that is "not fitting." For example, "She opened the door at an inopportune moment and saw him fire the gun." Bad timing? You bet. And very inopportune.
Vocabulary lists containing inopportune
Mahatma Gandhi's "Quit India" Speech
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 3
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The Underground Railroad
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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.
He rarely suffered severe injuries but had to deal with regular setbacks for a couple of years, and often in inopportune times.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
You won’t have to wait for money to be distributed from a retirement account, and you won’t be forced to sell investments at an inopportune time.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026
And under a climate change–driven heat dome that fuels more storms, the forests are all the more susceptible to inopportune lightning strikes.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
But it comes at an inopportune time for the industry, as investors pull money from some private-credit funds amid turbulence in that market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
He could ask the absolutely worst question at the most inopportune moment.
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.
