untimely
Americanadjective
-
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
-
happening too soon or too early; premature.
his untimely demise.
adverb
adjective
-
occurring before the expected, normal, or proper time
an untimely death
-
inappropriate to the occasion, time, or season
his joking at the funeral was most untimely
adverb
Other Word Forms
- untimeliness noun
Etymology
Origin of untimely
First recorded in 1150–1200, untimely is from the Middle English word untimliche. See un- 1, timely
Explanation
Something untimely has occurred prematurely, and it's usually not good news. If you hear about someone's untimely death, it must mean it was an unexpected death. When something is timely, it happens at the right time. When something is untimely, it means the opposite: it happened at an unfortunate or unexpected time. Usually, this means it happened much too early. The most common use of this term is probably in discussing someone’s untimely death, meaning they died young. Other disasters that happen to young people might be described as untimely as well.
Vocabulary lists containing untimely
Romeo and Juliet
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"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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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.
No player in Europe comes close to matching Harry Kane's goalscoring record this season – but could an untimely ankle problem scupper his Ballon d'Or chances?
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
The main character grapples with the untimely death of his mother as he navigates a new, possibly treacherous, relationship.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026
Holiday has been revered by singers of all genres and eras since her untimely death at 44.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
They do all care about untimely air travel.
From Slate • Nov. 7, 2025
But now wheeling swiftly across it, like shadows of untimely night, he saw in the middle airs below him five birdlike forms, horrible as carrion-fowl yet greater than eagles, cruel as death.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
