unready
unready Lexical Profile
unready Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Not prepared or properly equipped for an action, event, or situation.
"The novice climbers were completely unready for the sudden drop in temperature near the summit."
Slow, hesitant, or reluctant to act or respond; lacking promptness.
"He remained unready to commit to the new partnership until he had reviewed all the financial records."
Word Nuance & Usage
In the historical sobriquet 'Ethelred the Unready', the word is a mistranslation of the Old English 'unræd', which actually meant 'ill-advised' or 'lacking counsel' rather than 'unprepared'.
• Rhymes for unready
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Middle English from the prefix 'un-' (not) and 'ready'. In the historical epithet of King Ethelred the Unready, it altered the Old English noun 'unræd' ('bad counsel' or 'folly'), a pun on his name 'Æþelræd' ('noble counsel').