unwise

[uhn-wahyz]

adjective

more unwise, most unwise 

1. not wise; lacking in good sense or judgment; foolish; imprudent.

   an unwise choice;

   an unwise man.

unwise

/ ʌnˈwaɪz /

adjective

1. lacking wisdom or prudence; foolish

Other Word Forms

• unwiseness noun
• unwisely adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unwise¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English unwis(e), unwisse, Old English unwīs “unwise, foolish, mad, insane”; un- ¹, wise ¹

Example Sentences

The consensus among economists is that doing so would be unwise.

From Los Angeles Times

One doesn’t need to have expensive legal counsel to know that, if someone is suing you for defamation, it’s unwise to keep repeating the lie in public.

From Salon

The peers warn that it "would be unwise to depart from" the Convention, signed in 1933, "at a time when international law is seen as fragile".

From BBC

It is unwise to make zero-sum observations on which countries are winning and losing, Mr Capri added, because international trade, especially between US and China is so deeply inter-linked.

From BBC

Connor's epic mind game fail was a reminder that judging the Lions on early performances is unwise.

From BBC

Related Words

• foolhardy 
• foolish 
• ill-advised 
• ill-considered 
• imprudent 
• inappropriate 
• misguided 
• naive 
• reckless 
• silly 
• thoughtless 
• undesirable 
• unfortunate 
• unsound