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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stupid
not having or showing a deep understanding of something
a stunningly unwise observer of the political scene
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
But narrowing the range of acceptable opinions is an unwise course, one that disserves and underestimates our readers.
—
Ruth Marcus, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
Betting against Crosby to make it back seems unwise.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Operating a business without a firewall or two-factor authentication to protect digital assets is simply unwise.
—Hod Fleishman, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
The board amended a resolution to meet the parents’ demands despite financial warnings that doing so would be unwise.
—Ikram Mohamed, Chicago Tribune, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unwise
Ruth Marcus, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
Betting against Crosby to make it back seems unwise.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Operating a business without a firewall or two-factor authentication to protect digital assets is simply unwise.
—Hod Fleishman, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
The board amended a resolution to meet the parents’ demands despite financial warnings that doing so would be unwise.
—Ikram Mohamed, Chicago Tribune, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unwise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwise
Adjective
-
The idea of the Nuggets claiming three more games in this series with Michael Porter Jr. scoring three points — on Denver’s first basket, no less — is foolish.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2025
-
The first three days of the season took care of such foolish rookie thoughts and proved to be a humbling, but learning, experience.—
Thomas Weddle,
Outdoor Life,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Mickey Rourke was removed from the Celebrity Big Brother UK house after further usage of inappropriate language.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Lewin has insisted there was nothing inappropriate about this visit.—
Nick Tabor,
Curbed,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Making stupid internet fodder has never been easier than now, with the prevalence of AI image generators making everything from deepfakes to memes.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Much like the stupid prions wreaking havoc in his brain.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But silly things like feelings and mental health don't matter to rebellion leader Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård), who wants results at any cost.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
-
This is one where the visual spectacle and weird fourth-wall-breaking sections stand head and shoulders above everything else, making for an extremely memorable adventure that embraces the silly side of Doctor Who.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Ultimately, trying to peel Russia away from China is both imprudent and wrong.—
MICHAEL McFAUL,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Apr. 2025
-
That’s imprudent, because the Arctic’s climate is changing more rapidly than anywhere on Earth.—
Paul Bierman,
The Conversation,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Quarterly reports delayed by years would be absurd.—
Ingmar Rentzhog,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
-
While that isn't anywhere close to of being traded 10 times, being traded in four straight seasons is quite absurd.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Courts and Compliance In terms of the legal battles over Trump's moves, people widely rejected the administration's accusations of improper judicial interference.—
Gary Langer,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Graham was arrested shortly before 4:45 p.m. and charged with engaging police in pursuit, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, improper use of a marker plate, operation without minimum insurance, unsafe passing and operating a motor vehicle without a license.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
He could not be seen, just as the little black boy was not seen, or was seen inaccurately, by the unperceptive and disdainful white boy.—
Louise Glück,
The New York Review of Books,
14 Jan. 2021
-
Memory, conveyed by an unperceptive, mechanically flowing camera, seems disconnected from culture.—
Armond White,
National Review,
19 Nov. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Unwise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwise. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share