SKIP TO CONTENT

unwisely

If you do something in a way that's not particularly smart or thoughtful, you do it unwisely. Your brother unwisely decided to ride his skateboard down the playground slide, and now he's got a cast on his arm.

Things that are done unwisely are foolish or lack judgment. If you unwisely decide to adopt a dozen dogs from the local shelter, you'll almost certainly regret it. And if you unwisely borrow your mom's car to drive to the mall, despite not having a driver's license, you'll be in deep trouble. We get unwisely from the prefix un-, "not," and the Old English source of wise, wis, "sagacious or prudent."

Definitions of unwisely
  1. adverb
    without good sense or judgment
    synonyms: foolishly
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘unwisely'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family