Illadvised

Ill-advised is an English adjective used to describe actions, plans, or proposals that are judged to show poor judgment or lack of forethought. The term often implies that consequences are foreseeable or avoidable and that the decision lacks prudent consideration or sufficient information.

In use, ill-advised typically appears before a noun (an ill-advised decision, an ill-advised policy) or predicatively (the plan was ill-advised). It conveys a negative assessment rather than a moral condemnation, and its force depends on the speaker’s perspective; what is ill-advised to one observer may be justified by another in different contexts.

Etymology: ill-advised combines ill, an intensifying negation, with advised, the past participle of advise. The hyphenated form ill-advised is standard in contemporary English; the one-word spelling illadvised is rare and generally considered nonstandard.

Usage notes: ill-advised is common in journalism, commentary, and formal writing when evaluating choices, plans, or policy proposals. It signals doubt about prudence or feasibility but leaves room for debate about outcomes and alternatives. It does not by itself assign moral guilt, though it often carries a critical tone.

See also: imprudent, ill-considered, misguided, ill-judged.