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
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
But the gutting of the Forest Service couldn’t come at a more inopportune moment.
—Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
But that scoring has deserted them at an inopportune time.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inopportune
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
But the gutting of the Forest Service couldn’t come at a more inopportune moment.
—Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
But that scoring has deserted them at an inopportune time.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inopportune
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inopportune
Adjective
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Blending the tones of romantic comedy with a story of personal emancipation, the series follows a journey of self-discovery, ambition, and unexpected love.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
8 June 2026
-
However, the project faces an unexpected obstacle.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
The intelligence-gathering site became another means by which Israel could collect information on Iranian military movements and facilities, as well as potentially providing early warning of missile launches.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
-
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum stated that the promenade would connect the back side of the Lincoln Memorial to the Potomac River and that the promenade was a part of the McMillian Plan, the early 20th century plan that laid out the National Mall.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
Adjective
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The cost of premature action is highly visible and easily attributed.—
Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
That might be a little premature, however.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
4 June 2026
-
There was a sudden flourishing of knives, blades flashing in the market lights.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Discussing the subject with an older person who is suffering from chronic pain, is worried about paying for health care or medications, and is exhausted from caregiving is untimely to say the least.—
Helen Dennis,
Daily News,
30 May 2026
-
The trial court determined that her petition was untimely and denied, the prosecutors say.—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Lewis, 26, has been tailing off since a precocious start to his major league career, and some (perhaps fairly) wonder if a pair of major knee injuries have robbed him of what should have been, as the kids say, his final form.—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
29 May 2026
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Death and the devil dominate the writing, and Nyro would later attribute this darkness to a fascination from her precocious young adulthood.—
Sam Sodomsky,
Pitchfork,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inopportune.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inopportune. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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