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inopportune

adjective

(ˌ)in-ˌä-pər-ˈtün How to pronounce inopportune (audio)
Definition of inopportunenext
as in unexpected
occurring before the usual or expected time their inopportune arrival before the house was cleaned

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inopportune The accusation comes at an inopportune time, when Microsoft is trying to optimize Windows 11 for 8GB of RAM and PC makers are developing less expensive hardware to compete with Apple’s MacBook Neo. — Chris Hoffman, PC Magazine, 19 Aug. 2026 Getty Images The Philadelphia Phillies are in the final days before the MLB trade deadline searching for answers to an offense that has stalled at an inopportune time. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 American fans will rue the fact that such a feel-good story ended in embarrassment on and off the field as a US president who loves the spotlight seized it at an inopportune time and then a promising team crashed out in the worst way possible. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 7 July 2026 Missing out on this opportunity would be more than inopportune. — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for inopportune
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inopportune
  1. unexpected
  2. early
  3. premature
  4. sudden
  5. untimely
  6. precocious
Adjective
  • The Katonah Museum of Art is an unexpected stop for rotating exhibitions of cross-disciplinary visual art, while Philip Johnson’s Glass House in nearby New Canaan is also worth a half-day excursion.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The scalloped trim along the front pockets is an unexpected detail that sets them apart from a standard pair of pants, while the relaxed silhouette is still easy to style with sweaters, tees, and button-downs.
    — Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of unexpected
Adjective
  • Venable hasn’t diverged from his early-season strategy of using his relievers early and often and employing openers on a semiregular basis.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • More expansive early voting is scheduled to begin in those and other states in the coming weeks.
    — ALI SWENSON, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of early
Adjective
  • Van celebrated winning the 125-pound title, but both fighters walked away from that night feeling everyone deserved more than the premature result.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Unfortunately, Sara went into premature labor, and her twin boys were stillborn.
    — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of premature
Adjective
  • If not for the sudden availability of long-distance ocean transport (not to mention constant engineering challenges and the escalating cost of the plan), D-Day may have required far more woollen socks.
    — Mike McRae September 16, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Set on the eve of the Korean war, this ruminative story follows a midwestern family that’s fractured by a mother’s sudden disappearance.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of sudden
Adjective
  • The 2023 mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Wagner paramilitary company, led not to revolution but to his own untimely death.
    — MICHAEL KIMMAGE, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Spencer also writes about the devastating events surrounding Diana’s untimely death in 1997.
    — Sophie Dunne, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of untimely
Adjective
  • Tonally, the film is torn between wanting to be brutally bleak and offering some kind of hope for Murphy and his precocious, adorable daughter.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • More than the precocious 10-year-old who sang on a local TV show.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of precocious

Browse Nearby Words

inoperative
inopportune
inopportunely
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inopportune.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inopportune. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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