untimely

/ʌnˈtaɪmli/ (bre, ipa) · [əntˈaɪmli] /ʌnˈtaɪmli/ (ame, ipa) · [əntˈaɪmli] /ˌən-ˈtīm-lē How to pronounce untimely (audio)/ (ame, mw)

untimely — 形容詞

  • untimelypositive
  • more untimelycomparative
  • most untimelysuperlative

1. happening before the right time or at a moment when it is not wanted, especially

1.形容詞B2
釋義

不合時宜的

在不適當或過早的時間發生（多指不幸事件）

happening before the right time or at a moment when it is not wanted, especially for something unfortunate like a death or an interruption

例句

Haruto's untimely death at thirty-two left his family heartbroken.

Haruto 在 32 歲時不幸早逝，讓家人心碎不已。

collocation: untimely death

The untimely arrival of the inspectors caught the team in the middle of an upgrade.

督察組不合時宜地到來，正好撞上團隊正在進行系統升級。

untimely + arrival / interruption

同義詞
  • premature

    focuses only on happening too early, not on being inappropriate

  • inopportune

    focuses on bad timing and inconvenience, not on earliness

  • ill-timed

    similar meaning but more common in everyday speech

  • inconvenient

    broader word; can describe anything that causes difficulty, not only bad timing

反義詞
  • timely

    happening at exactly the right moment

  • opportune

    happening at a suitable or advantageous time

文法句型

untimely + [negative event noun]

用法筆記

Almost always describes something negative or unwelcome; it sounds strange when applied to happy events. Typically appears before the noun it modifies.

常見錯誤

❌The untimely arrival of spring brought joy to everyone.
✅The untimely frost killed the early blossoms.
💡'untimely' almost always describes an unfortunate or unwelcome event; using it for something positive sounds odd.

untimely — 副詞