unwise

adjective

un·​wise ˌən-ˈwīz 

: lacking wisdom or good sense : foolish, imprudent

unwisely adverb

Synonyms

• absurd
• asinine
• balmy
• brainless
• bubbleheaded
• cockeyed
• crackpot
• crazy
• cuckoo
• daffy
• daft
• dippy
• dotty
• fatuous
• featherheaded
• fool
• foolish
• half-baked
• half-witted
• harebrained
• inept
• insane
• jerky
• kooky
• kookie
• loony
• looney
• lunatic
• lunkheaded
• mad
• nonsensical
• nutty
• preposterous
• sappy
• screwball
• senseless
• silly
• simpleminded
• stupid
• tomfool
• wacky
• whacky
• weak-minded
• witless
• zany

Examples of unwise in a Sentence

It would be unwise to buy a house now.

made the unwise decision to invest in a brand-new company

Recent Examples on the Web

Even with the recent end of Chevron deference, there a plethora of statutes can still be selectively interpreted to justify unwise policies, such as the aforementioned attempt, still ongoing, at student loan forgiveness. —Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024

Put simply, hastily abandoning efforts that ensure fair, safe, and inclusive work environments is bad for business, unpopular and unwise. —Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2024

Poor mental health, in turn, can lead to making unwise dietary choices that do not support gut health. —Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 24 Sep. 2024

Currency spent on unlocking new skills is non refundable, which makes picking an unwise skill for inheritance feel unnecessarily punishing. —Josh Broadwell, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

unwise

adjective

un·​wise ˌən-ˈwīz 

ˈən-

: not wise : foolish

unwisely adverb