as in unexpected
occurring before the usual or expected time
their inopportune arrival before the house was cleaned
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inopportune
There’s the brooding, damaged Creasy, who confusingly passes out at inopportune moments owing to his trauma; an international setting (Italy in the book and first film, Mexico City in the 2004 movie); and a young woman who breaks through his defenses and teaches him to feel again.
—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Apr. 2026
Bunting’s injury simply came at a most inopportune time.
—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Twenty-six years ago, students treated a visit by then-President Bill Clinton as a challenge, and outwitted the Secret Service by secretly rigging a banner to unfurl at an inopportune moment.
—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
26 Apr. 2026
With the midterms ahead and the economy teetering, this seems like a particularly inopportune time to have a spat with the first American pope — who also happens to come from Chicago, long one of the nation’s most Catholic cities.
—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inopportune
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Apr. 2026
Bunting’s injury simply came at a most inopportune time.
—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Twenty-six years ago, students treated a visit by then-President Bill Clinton as a challenge, and outwitted the Secret Service by secretly rigging a banner to unfurl at an inopportune moment.
—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
26 Apr. 2026
With the midterms ahead and the economy teetering, this seems like a particularly inopportune time to have a spat with the first American pope — who also happens to come from Chicago, long one of the nation’s most Catholic cities.
—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inopportune
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inopportune
Adjective
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Artisan Market Thoughtful, small-batch cookies made with intention and inspired by unexpected flavors.
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And while many know Mariska Hargitay from her decades-long run on Law & Order or as one of the Knicks' biggest hype women, she can also be considered among fashion's unexpected trendsetters.
Adjective
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All that to say, a glass of rye whiskey, one of the oldest drinks in America and the original base of many of our earliest cocktails like Manhattans and Old Fashioneds, is an easy way to honor the scrappy American spirit.
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Heck, the city almost lost out on Messi altogether, with Argentina barely escaping Cape Verde in an early knockout match Friday night.
Adjective
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Hopkins pounced when Larson welcomed questions, suggesting the press conference was premature, given that the congressman had no precise information about why Cecunjanin had been detained.
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And many aspects of her identity have come into fashion recently, decades after her premature death in 1954.
Adjective
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Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.
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Small Holes One sign of snakes in your garden could be the sudden appearance of small holes that could be about the size of a small coin, or up to two inches.
Adjective
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Why Basquiat endures Sirmans said there are many reasons why more than three decades after his untimely death from a drug overdose in 1988 at the age of 27, Basquiat remains one of the defining artists of the late 20th century.
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Following the untimely demise of his Jon Spencer Blues Explosion in 2016, Spencer released the Spencer Gets it Lit album alongside The HITmakers in 2022.
Adjective
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That’s why my millennial children listen to that sixty-year-old music now, whereas, in 1964, only a precocious Mahler buff would have listened to the music of 1904.
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Sandeep is nothing loath to make trouble for his annoyingly precocious little sister.
Cite this Entry
“Inopportune.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inopportune. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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