unprepared

adjective

un·​pre·​pared ˌən-pri-ˈperd 

: not prepared

was unprepared for class

… they were woefully unprepared to take on the responsibilities expected of them.

—Richard M. Ketchum

unpreparedness

ˌən-pri-ˈper-əd-nəs 

 also  -ˈperd-nəs

noun

Synonyms

• ad hoc
• ad-lib
• down and dirty
• extemporaneous
• extemporary
• extempore
• impromptu
• improvisational
• improvised
• off-the-cuff
• offhand
• offhanded
• snap
• spur-of-the-moment
• unconsidered
• unplanned
• unpremeditated
• unrehearsed
• unstudied

Examples of unprepared in a Sentence

an obviously unprepared acceptance speech by the surprise winner

Recent Examples on the Web

As climate change unleashes ever-more powerful storms, worsening floods and rising sea levels, San Francisco remains woefully unprepared for inundation, a civil grand jury determined in a report this week. —Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2024

Many social media companies appear to have been unprepared for the onslaught on faceswap images and have created major hurdles for image owners to get the images taken down. —Rachel Ventresca, Fortune, 7 June 2024

The Oakland Zoo let a family of bears go at a mock campsite set up in their habitat to show visitors how destructive bears can be if campers are unprepared for an encounter. —David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 5 June 2024

Much of the cast was unprepared for how loud the cameras would be during intimate and dialogue-heavy scenes. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing unprepared

• catch unawares/unprepared/by surprise