untimely

[uhn-tahym-lee]

adjective

untimelier, untimeliest 

1. not timely; not occurring at a suitable time or season; ill-timed or inopportune.

   An untimely downpour stopped the game.

   Synonyms: unsuitable, inconvenient, inappropriate, unseasonable

2. happening too soon or too early; premature.

   his untimely demise.

adverb

1. prematurely.

2. unseasonably.

untimely

/ ʌnˈtaɪmlɪ /

adjective

1. occurring before the expected, normal, or proper time

   an untimely death

2. inappropriate to the occasion, time, or season

   his joking at the funeral was most untimely

adverb

1. prematurely or inopportunely

Other Word Forms

• untimeliness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of untimely¹

First recorded in 1150–1200, untimely is from the Middle English word untimliche. See un- ¹, timely

Idioms and Phrases

see come to an (untimely) end.

Example Sentences

Last month, a report commissioned by Los Angeles County found that a general lack of planning, poor communication, understaffing and chaotic conditions contributed to untimely evacuation orders as the Eaton fire tore through Altadena.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Left with few answers about his untimely death and what led to it, Kruglov’s community doesn’t understand how something like this could have happened to someone like him.

Read more on Salon

The Rams overcame untimely penalties, dropped passes, special teams errors and Nacua’s scare that left them in a 3-3 tie at halftime.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Despite an untimely crash which tossed her to the back of the pack, Kiros stormed to the front and finished seventh, just three seconds behind the winner.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Pieces of pottery and other evidence found inside the sprawling underground tomb revealed that it belonged to Thutmose II, a young pharaoh who died an untimely death more than three millennia ago.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ill-timed 
• improper 
• premature 
• undue 
• unfortunate