untimely

English

Etymology

From Middle English untymely (also earlier untimliche), equivalent to un- +‎ timely. First attested in the early 13th century. Compare Middle Danish utimelig, Old English untídlic (“unreasonable”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʌnˈtaɪmli/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

untimely (comparative untimelier or more untimely, superlative untimeliest or most untimely)

1. At an inopportune time.

   Synonyms: inopportune; see also Thesaurus:untimely

   Antonyms: timely, opportune, on time, to time; see also Thesaurus:punctual

   untimely remarks

2. Early; premature.

   Synonyms: early, premature; see also Thesaurus:premature

   Antonyms: late, tardy; see also Thesaurus:overdue

   an untimely death

   • c. 1779–81, Samuel Johnson, “Savage”, in The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets, volume 3, published 1794:

     The heroes of literary as well as civil history have been very often no less remarkable for what they have suffered, than for what they have atchieved^[sic]; and volumes have been written only to enumerate the miseries of the learned, and relate their unhappy lives, and untimely deaths.

   • 1898, Florence Earle Coates, Before the Hour:

     Untimely blossom! Poor, impatient thing, / ⁠That, starting rashly from the sheltering mould, / ⁠Bravest the peevish wind and sullen cold, / ⁠Mistaking thine own ardors for the spring

Synonyms

• untimeless (archaic)

Derived terms

• untimelily
• untimeliness

Translations

taking place at an inopportune time

• Bulgarian: ненавременен (bg) (nenavremenen)
• Estonian: ajakohatu
• Finnish: huonosti ajoitettu
• French: intempestif (fr)
• Galician: intempestivo (gl)
• German: unpassend (de)
• Greek: ανεπίκαιρος (el) (anepíkairos)

  Ancient: ἄωρος (áōros)

• Irish: antráthach
• Italian: inopportuno (it), intempestivo (it), inatteso (it), improvviso (it)
• Latin: intempestus
• Polish: nie w porę
• Spanish: inoportuno (es), intempestivo (es)
• Swedish: oläglig (sv)
• Welsh: anamserol

early; premature

• Bulgarian: преждевре́менен (bg) (preždevrémenen)
• Czech: předčasný (cs) m
• Estonian: enneaegne (et)
• Finnish: ennenaikainen (fi)
• French: vert (fr)
• Galician: please add this translation if you can
• German: vorzeitig (de), verfrüht (de), frühzeitig (de), viel zu früh
• Greek: please add this translation if you can
• Ingrian: ennenaikain
• Italian: prematuro (it), inaspettato (it), inopportuno (it), precipitoso (it)
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: praecox
• Norwegian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: przedwczesny (pl)
• Russian: преждевре́менный (ru) (preždevrémennyj), несвоевре́менный (ru) (nesvojevrémennyj)
• Slovene: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: annhymhoraidd, cynamserol

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Telugu: అకాలము (te) (akālamu)

Adverb

untimely (comparative more untimely, superlative most untimely)

1. Prematurely.
   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene viii], page 151:

     Tell thee, Macduffe was from his Mothers womb / Untimely ript.

   • 1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 10, page 215:

     They light fires under fruit trees to keep the fruit from falling untimely.

   • 1916, Florence Earle Coates, In Memory of Caroline Furness Jayne:

     Couldst thou go from us, in thy beauteous June, / Leaving a sense of joy untimely perished, / ⁠Of music stilled too soon?

Translations

prematurely

• Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐌿𐌷𐍄𐌴𐌹𐌲𐍉 (unuhteigō)

Anagrams

• minutely