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Showing results for ill-timed. Search instead for ill+timed.
Synonyms

ill-timed

American  
[il-tahymd] / ˈɪlˈtaɪmd /

adjective

  1. badly timed; inopportune.

ill-timed British  

adjective

  1. occurring at or planned for an unsuitable time

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ill-timed

First recorded in 1685–95

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.

Southwest Airlines ended its fuel hedging program in early 2025, a decision now seen as ill-timed given current market conditions.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Dell’Osso was appointed as CEO of Chesapeake Energy in 2021, months after the company emerged from bankruptcy after a big, ill-timed expansion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Economist Ed Yardeni dubbed this the “front-cover curse” — when financial magazines publish ill-timed covers that in hindsight mark peak optimism or pessimism.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 6, 2026

But dwelling too long on that can foster misplaced faith and ill-timed complacency.

From Slate • Jan. 6, 2026

And then we've run out of conversation again, and it’s so strange the way an ill-timed kiss can make someone feel like a stranger.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

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.