inopportune

adjective

(ˌ)in-ˌä-pər-ˈtün How to pronounce inopportune (audio)
Definition of inopportunenext
as in unexpected
occurring before the usual or expected time their inopportune arrival before the house was cleaned

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 inopportune Missing out on this opportunity would be more than inopportune. — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 1 July 2026 These headwinds are particularly inopportune for the spring market, traditionally the busiest for the housing sector. — John Kell, Fortune, 24 June 2026 Golden State played uncharacteristically, giving up open shots and turning the ball over at inopportune times. — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 18 June 2026 Advertisement The departure of some of Russia’s brightest computer scientists has come at an inopportune moment for the country. — Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 18 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for inopportune
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inopportune
  1. unexpected
  2. early
  3. premature
  4. sudden
  5. untimely
  6. precocious
Adjective
  • Alongside grapefruit and bergamot, an Earl Grey tea accord adds unexpected warmth.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
  • An unexpected benefit of this process is that its solid carbon byproduct turned out to be graphite, a material used in batteries and electrodes that the US currently imports.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of unexpected
Adjective
  • The extremely small separation between the two graphene systems allowed the screening effect to be much stronger than in earlier experiments.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Prosecutors say Castro briefly struggled with Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, then fired through a front door into an occupied home, hitting him in the leg, contradicting earlier federal accounts.
    — Valerie Gonzalez, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of early
Adjective
  • The Supreme Court, in a brief order last week, found that an earlier challenge to Trump’s executive order was premature because USPS had not yet issued a final rule.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of premature
Adjective
  • And at the end of it all, a euphoric fan base, tipsy with its sudden reversal of fortune, belted out a 1976 Abba song in South Florida.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The model is pulled in ten different directions by different internal product teams, resulting in an interface that suffers from sudden behavioral resets and an inability to smoothly execute complex, multi-turn human requests.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of sudden
Adjective
  • Their family heritage dictates that any man an Owens woman truly loves will die an untimely death.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Letter writer finds even the relationship with other siblings hard to manage after sister’s untimely death.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of untimely
Adjective
  • Espada inserted him in place of Cam Smith, the precocious young talent still struggling to harness consistency at the major-league level.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Rota was a precocious musical talent who studied with Ildebrando Pizzetti, Alfredo Casella and Rosario Scalero before turning his attention to cinema.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of precocious

Browse Nearby Words

inoperative
inopportune
inopportunely
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

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