inopportune

[ in-op-er-toon, -tyoon ]

adjective

1. not opportune; inappropriate; inconvenient; untimely or unseasonable:

   an inopportune visit.

inopportune

/ ɪnˈɒpəˌtjuːn /

adjective

1. not opportune; inappropriate or badly timed

Derived Forms

• inˈopporˌtuneness, noun
• inˈopporˌtunely, adverb

Other Words From

• in·oppor·tunely adverb
• in·oppor·tuneness in·oppor·tuni·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inopportune¹

From the Late Latin word inopportūnus, dating back to 1525–35. See in- ³, opportune

Example Sentences

In Ridgewood, New Jersey, where he was raising his family, he oversaw his suburban town’s Little League, applying these same beliefs about the inopportune mix of girls and sports.

From Los Angeles Times

For the Lebanese, the war comes at an inopportune moment.

From Los Angeles Times

But two of the most inopportune vice presidential picks of modern times — Dan Quayle and Sarah Palin — had no significant bearing on their running mates’ fortunes.

From Los Angeles Times

“You have a wildfire that is coming at a very inopportune time for the species and a wildfire that’s being driven by a hundred years of fire suppression activities and a warming climate.”

From Los Angeles Times

Despite an expensive and ambitious antipollution initiative, officials acknowledge that a single drenching downpour at an inopportune moment could send a surge of sewage into the waterway.

From Los Angeles Times