unprepared

adjective

un·​pre·​pared ˌən-pri-ˈperd 

: not prepared

was unprepared for class

… they were woefully unprepared to take on the responsibilities expected of them.

—Richard M. Ketchum

unpreparedness

ˌən-pri-ˈper-əd-nəs 

 also  -ˈperd-nəs

noun

Synonyms

• ad hoc
• ad-lib
• down and dirty
• extemporaneous
• extemporary
• extempore
• impromptu
• improvisational
• improvised
• off-the-cuff
• offhand
• offhanded
• snap
• spur-of-the-moment
• unconsidered
• unplanned
• unpremeditated
• unrehearsed
• unstudied

Examples of unprepared in a Sentence

an obviously unprepared acceptance speech by the surprise winner

Recent Examples on the Web

An Unprepared Management Team The primary risk in aggressive growth is an unprepared top management team. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024

The thought of appearing unprepared or unknowledgeable can be stressful, especially in a big team meeting or in conversation with more senior colleagues. —Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2024

But Council members repeatedly chided top CUNY officials for coming unprepared to answer their questions. —Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 26 Nov. 2024

Authorities seemed unprepared and overwhelmed, quickly running out of supplies and scrambling to find more buses to transport people. —Atika Shubert, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing unprepared

• catch unawares/unprepared/by surprise