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ill-advised

/ˌˈɪl ədˌvaɪzd/
IPA guide

An ill-advised decision is one that isn't smart or thoughtful. It would be ill-advised to adopt all the dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs from your local animal shelter — especially without consulting your family members first.

This adjective is basically a polite way to say "just plain stupid." Political commentators may judiciously criticize a policy decision as ill-advised if they think it's a bad idea. Your mom might respond to your brother's request to let his pet chicken sleep in bed with him by calmly saying, "That would be ill-advised." The word implies that you've been given bad advice, which may be true, but it's generally your own recklessness that leads you to do something ill-advised.

Definitions of ill-advised
  1. adjective
    without careful prior deliberation or counsel
    ill-advised efforts”
    “it would be ill-advised to accept the offer”
    synonyms: unadvised
    imprudent
    not prudent or wise
    foolish
    devoid of good sense or judgment
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    well-advised
    having the benefit of careful prior consideration or counsel
    considered
    carefully weighed
    wise
    having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘ill-advised'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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