unwise

adjective

un·​wise ˌən-ˈwīz 

: lacking wisdom or good sense : foolish, imprudent

an unwise decision

unwisely adverb

Synonyms of unwise

• foolish
• stupid
• silly
• absurd
• insane
• mad
• crazy
• idiotic

Examples of unwise in a Sentence

It would be unwise to buy a house now.

made the unwise decision to invest in a brand-new company

Recent Examples on the Web

Needless to say, that would have been unwise for a city with a credit rating perched precariously just above junk status. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026

Somebody sat in the room where Paynter's oncology program died and agreed that unbillable was the same as unwise — and that person was not a spreadsheet. — Sachin H. Jain, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026

Leading police experts say firing weapons at moving vehicles is unwise and generally against policy in law enforcement agencies nationwide. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

Here, however, the joke is that appearances can be deceiving — or to be more specific, that trying to act like a character in a movie is a reckless, unwise thing to do. — Elena Lazic, Variety, 26 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unwise

• advise
• applies
• apprise
• arise
• assize
• baptize
• belies
• bitwise
• capsize
• chastise
• chordwise
• clockwise

Kids Definition

unwise

adjective

un·​wise ˌən-ˈwīz 

ˈən-

: not wise : foolish

unwisely adverb