unready

[uhn-red-ee]

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.

Origin of unready

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

Related formsun·read·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for unready

tired, sleepy, weary, lackadaisical, passive, careless, apathetic, inattentive, indifferent, dull, lethargic, vulnerable, unaware, forced, afraid, evasive, unenthusiastic, resistant, loath, averse

Examples from the Web for unready

Historical Examples of unready

Better let them think him unready; then perhaps they would let him get the lead.
When the West Was Young
Frederick R. Bechdolt
He is as unready in the thought needed for these as he is in the use of his senses.
The Children
Alice Meynell
It was unready for war, but war was the only solvent of intolerable troubles.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte
William Milligan Sloane
“I reckon they should be unready to confess the same,” saith she.
Joyce Morrell's Harvest
Emily Sarah Holt
Probably he found her coy, unready to acknowledge his demands on her attention.
Robert Falconer
George MacDonald

British Dictionary definitions for unready

unready

adjective

not ready or prepared
slow or hesitant to see or act
archaic not dressed

Derived Formsunreadily, 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

Word Origin and History for unready

adj.

mid-14c., "not prepared," from un- (1) "not" + ready. In English history, applied to Anglo-Saxon King Æðelræd II (968-1016), where it preserves the fuller original sense of Old English ungeræd "ill-advised, rede-less, no-counsel" and plays on the king's name (which means "good-counsel"). The epithet is attested from early 13c. Old English ræda "advise, counsel" is related to read (v.). Rede "counsel" survived in poetic usage to 17c. An attempted revival by Scott (19c.) failed, though it is used in Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings."