unwise
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unwise
First recorded before 900; Middle English unwis(e), unwisse, Old English unwīs “unwise, foolish, mad, insane”; see origin at un- 1, wise 1
Explanation
Doing something unwise means acting in a foolish or irrational way. It would be unwise to bring your cat to the library with you — you'll probably get in trouble, and the cat is unlikely to enjoy it. Wise means "having sound judgment or intelligence," and when you add the prefix un-, or "not," you get the exact opposite. Making an unwise choice means you're not using your good sense to consider all possible consequences. It would be unwise to wear shorts on the coldest day of the year, and even more unwise to walk barefoot to school in the snow. Use your common sense and wisdom and you'll avoid making unwise decisions!
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.
This can be especially unwise if the saver is selling taxable assets to fund the Roth contributions, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
I need to acknowledge up front that it is unwise for anybody—including me—to deduce any comprehensive conclusions about the Democratic Party and where it’s headed from Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primary last week.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
Flock has claimed the company will reform its policies to address these issues, but history suggests it would be unwise to trust them.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
For the sake of convenience, you might be tempted to store them all in one big box that you keep in the corner of the room - but Carter thinks that's unwise.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
This turned out to be unwise in the long run, since each time I missed practice I had to make up the time and pay for it with an extra half hour.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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.
