ill-chosen
1
6.3
- adjective
- /ɪlˈtʃoʊzən/
- In a moment of anger, he made an ill-chosen comment that he later regretted.
- ill-chosen words
Examples
-
It was a very ill chosen, dirty skirmish.
-
The French anchorage had been ill-chosen, three leagues away, as Vives noted, from the superb Matavai Bay where the British (and the MGM Bounty) would anchor.
Fiction book (1991) -
I cry you mercy," said Robin, "that word was ill-chosen.
Fiction book (1991) -
And yes, I realize they were ill-chosen, but they were only meant for my own co-workers.
Fiction book (1998) -
Could it be that my emotional reaction was defensible and even healthy, but that my words were ill-chosen?
-
"Then why don't you tell me in your own ill-chosen words what transpired next?"
Fiction book (1991) -
Jefferson thinks he knows everything, even when, as in military matters, they lie outside the scope of his experience—don't be deluded by a few ill-chosen words.
Fiction book (2002) -
Hughes describes how the settlers had no useful skills anyway—"absurdly ill-chosen for the task"—another sign that the British saw Australia as no more than a dumping ground, not really a colony at all.
Blog text (30) -
His ill-chosen remark during the meeting offended several colleagues.
-
The author realized that her ill-chosen phrases confused the readers.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Not suitable for a particular time or purpose
367
3.7
Not right for a situation or event
37
3.0
Not graceful in movement or action
22
5.4
Not a good idea and likely to cause problems
19
2.6
Not right for a person, place, or purpose
17
3.2
Saying or writing things in an awkward, not skillful way that causes embarrassment
5
4.9
Not graceful or pleasing in style
4
6.8
Not carefully planned or thought about before doing it
1
7.5
Not suitable and awkward when speaking or acting
1
7.2
Not suitable for a person or situation
1
9.9
Not suitable for a situation and therefore not important to the topic
Antonyms
How Appropriate
Surface Forms
Morphology
ill-chosen = chosen (transparent) = ill + chosen
Meaning is directly 'ill' (badly) + 'chosen' (selected), so learners can derive 'badly chosen'.
Etymology
The word ill-chosen is easy to remember: ill means 'bad' and chosen comes from choose, which means 'to pick'. So, something ill-chosen was 'picked badly', which is why it is not suitable or feels awkward in the situation.