inopportunitas

Inopportunitas is a Latin noun that denotes ill-timedness or untimeliness—the quality of being inappropriate to a particular moment or circumstance. In philosophical, rhetorical, and practical discourse, the term can describe a proposal, action, or event that is unsuitable not because of its content alone but because of its timing.

Etymology and form: The word is built from in- (not, opposite of) and opportunus (opportune, favorable) with the abstract noun suffix -tas. It is feminine and typically treated as a third-declension noun, with the genitive form inopportunitatis and the plural inopportunitates.

Usage in Latin: In classical and medieval Latin, inopportunitas is used to judge the appropriateness of moments and decisions. It often accompanies advice to delay or adjust plans, emphasizing that timing can affect outcomes as much as substance. The term can apply to social, political, or logistical situations where action at the wrong moment carries risk.

Modern relevance: Although primarily encountered in scholarly Latin texts, the concept echoes in present-day discussions of timing, risk assessment, and ethical judgment. In Romance languages, cognate forms convey related notions of inconvenience or ill-timedness, while English uses the adjective inopportune to describe circumstances that are not favorable for action.

See also: opportunitas, opportune, ill-timed, untimely.