unwise

English

Etymology

From Middle English unwis, from Old English unwīs (“unwise, foolish, ignorant, uninformed, insane”), equivalent to un- +‎ wise. Cognate with Dutch onwijs (“unwise”), German unweise (“unwise”), Danish uvis (“unwise”), Swedish ovis (“unwise”), Icelandic óvís (“unwise”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʌnˈwaɪz/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪz

Adjective

unwise (comparative unwiser, superlative unwisest)

1. Not wise; lacking wisdom

   Synonyms: injudicious, indiscreet, foolish

   unwise man

   unwise kings

   unwise measures

   • 1962 December, “A new Pullman era?”, in Modern Railways, page 362:

     If the kind of network we envisage is to be established, it would be unwise to begin any of its services hurriedly with older stock, which, however admirable in its day, now has an air of faded Edwardian splendour that is out of joint with the times.

   • 2025 May 29, Kalyeena Makortoff, “US federal court blocks Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Their use was “impermissible not because it is unwise or ineffective, but because [federal law]^[sic] does not allow it”, the decision explained.

Antonyms

• wise

Derived terms

• unwiseness

Translations

not wise

• Bulgarian: неразу́мен (bg) (nerazúmen)
• Catalan: imprudent
• Czech: nemoudrý m
• Dutch: onverstandig (nl)
• Esperanto: malsaĝa
• German: unklug (de)
• Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐍆𐍂𐍉𐌸𐍃 (unfrōþs)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἄσοφος (ásophos)

• Irish: neamhchríonna
• Italian: imprudente (it), insipiente (it)
• Latin: imprudens, insipiens
• Manx: neuchreeney, anchreeney, neuhushtagh
• Maori: rorohuri, pokerenoa
• Plautdietsch: onweis
• Polish: nierozsądny (pl)
• Portuguese: insensato (pt)
• Russian: неразу́мный (ru) (nerazúmnyj)
• Swedish: oklok (sv)
• Ukrainian: нерозу́мний (nerozúmnyj)