unready

[ uhn-red-ee ]

/ ʌnˈrɛd i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unready ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not ready; not made ready: The new stadium is as yet unready for use.

not in a state of readiness; unprepared: emotionally unready for success.

lacking in presence of mind, as when a quick decision or a sharp answer is required: Awkward situations often found him unready.

British Dialect. not dressed.

not prompt or quick.

Nearby words

unraped, unravel, unreactive, unread, unreadable, unready, unreal, unrealistic, unreality, unrealizable, unrealized

Origin of unready

First recorded in 1250–1300, unready is from the Middle English word unredy. See un-¹, ready

Related forms

un·read·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unready

Also of my own an unready reckoning I have to account, therefore I make tarrying.
Fifteenth Century Prose and Verse|Various
As a small lamp cannot withstand excessive electrical voltage, so your nerves are unready for the cosmic current.
Autobiography of a YOGI|Paramhansa Yogananda
The Devons were making ready for it, and how unready a man might feel at such a moment!
The Coo-ee Reciter|Various
You remember that Richard's sister Emma went over to England to marry the unready king.
The Normans|Sarah Orne Jewett

I may say Death giveth no warning: To think on thee, it maketh my heart sick, For all unready is my book of reckoning.
Everyman and Other Old Religious Plays, with an Introduction|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for unready

unready

/ (ʌnˈrɛdɪ) /

adjective

not ready or prepared

slow or hesitant to see or act

archaic not dressed

Derived Forms

unreadily, adverbunreadiness, noun

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