ILL-ADVISED Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

ill-advised

adjective

ˌil-əd-ˈvīzd

Definition of ill-advised

as in inappropriate

showing poor judgment especially in personal relationships or social situations an ill-advised criticism of the boss at a company function

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ill-advised Time will tell what these partners are able to do with regard to safety, but releasing it to the general public would certainly have been ill-advised and dangerous. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026 More often than not, this leads to erroneous information (to be kind) and the formulation of strategies that are ill-advised. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2026 At age 33, there is reason to wonder if the season was simply a foreshadowing of Betts’ eventual decline, just as there was reason to wonder if his transition to shortstop was ill-advised. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2026 Ament’s lawyers are now pushing to withdraw his guilty plea, saying he’d been ill-advised by his previous counsel. — Victoria Le, Oc Register, 28 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ill-advised

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-advised

Adjective

Justice Department attorneys have argued that a restraining order would be inappropriate and that the legal challenge was premature, as federal agencies had yet to issue public guidance on how the president's directive would be implemented.

— Kristina Cooke, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
The morality police, which are often accused of extreme policies, recently announced a statewide ban in Sokoto on the use of DJs at events, as well as inappropriate haircuts, extravagant bridal gifts and playing music on public transport.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of inappropriate

Adjective

The tactic is especially prevalent among the department’s elite Metropolitan Division and anti-gang units, several of which have come under investigation in recent years for failing to document the stops and improper searches.

— Hailey Wang, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Green curry, red curry and peanut sauce had to be thrown out as they were improperly stored and held at improper temperatures.

— Joseph Hernandez August 31, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of improper

Adjective

The itinerants were all a bit peculiar, capable of making imprudent choices.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 July 2026
And this is Minsky’s point, that speculative excesses during euphoric, transformative periods result in imprudent financing, fragility, and instability.

— Hersh Shefrin, Forbes.com, 4 June 2026

Definition of imprudent

Adjective

The state could also use the money for another environmental purpose if dredging is deemed inadvisable — or for further dredging study if necessary.

— Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 14 Aug. 2026
Many people, even those considerably older, posted things on social media that in hindsight were inadvisable.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of inadvisable

Adjective

Let’s finish up by circling back to the beginning, when six injudicious justices ignored an eternal political truth.

— Gerald Scorse, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
And again, many of the reforms backfired or proved injudicious, but some of them remain powerful to this day.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026

Definition of injudicious

Adjective

But in a season with so much on the line, the Jets would be unwise to have Klubnik be the first player off the bench if Smith were to suffer an injury.

— Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
Rhaenyra also dismisses Mysaria, a wise move carried out in a very unwise manner, given the woman’s cunning.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of unwise

Adjective

Video games are one of the world’s most dominant storytelling mediums, yet the writing is often dismissed — not always unfairly — as melodramatic, overly serious and occasionally very stupid.

— Gene Park, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
Bonnell The enthusiast’s approach Bonnell’s team uses matters because electric motorcycles have an annoying tendency to make power delivery either spectacularly good or spectacularly stupid.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of stupid

Adjective

As part of the plea agreement, the prosecution amended the first charge to reckless driving, second offense, and the second charge to a careless driving citation.

— Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
Steele accepted the reduced charge, along with a separate careless-driving citation, and suspended the athlete’s driver’s license for five years.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of careless

Browse Nearby Words

ill

ill-advised

ill at ease

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ill-advised.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-advised. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ill-advised

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

matriculate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes