unwise

adjective

ˌən-ˈwīz How to pronounce unwise (audio)
Definition of unwisenext
1
as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment made the unwise decision to invest in a brand-new company

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inappropriate
showing poor judgment especially in personal relationships or social situations an unwise urge to confide in total strangers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stupid
not having or showing a deep understanding of something a stunningly unwise observer of the political scene

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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 unwise And given this context, Anthropic’s actions are viewed by many within Washington as not simply unwise, but actively antagonistic. — Tina Nguyen, The Verge, 17 June 2026 For their part, do politicians and agency leaders like it when their pet projects are assessed by intelligence as unwise or infeasible? — Gregory F. Treverton, The Conversation, 8 June 2026 The economic reality is that, despite Putin’s tough guy bluster and despite higher oil and gas prices as well as the unwise relaxation of energy sanctions on Russia, Putin’s house of cards is still more vulnerable than many realize. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 23 May 2026 With runners on first and second and one away, new reliever Tim Hill then made the unwise decision to throw to third after fielding a comebacker. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 10 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for unwise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwise
  1. foolish
  2. inappropriate
  3. stupid
  4. silly
  5. imprudent
  6. dumb
  7. absurd
  8. improper
Adjective
  • Johnson continued this week to push for his foolish and counterproductive desire to impose a $33-per-month tax on each Chicago job generated by the city’s largest private-sector employers.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
  • As is, this is a foolish thriller that prompts the occasional snicker but not much more.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
Definition of foolish
Adjective
  • There has been some opposition, including from the Mauthausen Committee, Austria’s main Holocaust survivors’ group, which has argued both that a police station is inappropriate and that more should be done to draw attention to Hitler’s crimes.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • State auditors found in 2018 that $700K in voucher money being spent on cosmetics, clothing, and other inappropriate items.
    — Peter Greene, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of inappropriate
Adjective
  • There are plenty of videos from Yellowstone National Park involving tourists doing breathtakingly stupid things around wild animals.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2026
  • Even when Romanzy goes off on how stupid and ugly Caleb is — and gossips that his parents abandoned him because something must be wrong with him — Mary goes along with it.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 July 2026
Definition of stupid
Adjective
  • She’s seen during a dance rehearsal, a silly social media clip, and onstage from their Lollapalooza set, the latter of which came before her announcement in February to step away from Katseye.
    — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2026
  • Starring British comedy favourites such as Kevin Eldon and Miranda Hart, Hyperdrive is a very silly show that ended up more like a workplace sitcom in space rather than the next Red Dwarf.
    — William Worrall, Space.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of silly
Adjective
  • And this is Minsky’s point, that speculative excesses during euphoric, transformative periods result in imprudent financing, fragility, and instability.
    — Hersh Shefrin, Forbes.com, 4 June 2026
  • Additional charges included negligently driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, endangering property, life, and person, as well as recklessly driving a vehicle in wanton and willful disregard for the safety of persons and property.
    — Diane J. Cho, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Definition of imprudent
Adjective
  • Still crazy enough to do something dumb, but mature enough to curb your impulses.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026
  • Instead of the Tech Right making the conservative movement smarter, the conservative movement seemed to be making the Tech Right dumber.
    — Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026
Definition of dumb
Adjective
  • That’s absurd for a company generating $14 billion in yearly free cash flow.
    — Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • In some ways, watching this late-career Messi has become just as compelling an experience as watching the one who recorded a quite absurd 91 goals and 22 assists for Barcelona and Argentina in 2012.
    — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of absurd
Adjective
  • An improper diagnosis can trail a child through their school years, Fombonne said, but a different, underlying condition the person might have—such as depression and anxiety—might go untreated.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
  • An independent committee investigating the cause of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades heard arguments on how improper practices that evaded regulatory oversight turned a small fire into a tragedy as the case neared its conclusion Friday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026
Definition of improper

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Cite this Entry

“Unwise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwise. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of unwise for Spanish Speakers

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