as in early
occurring before the usual or expected time
the untimely arrival of our guests caught us by surprise
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Recent Examples of untimely
Following Prince’s death, there was a two-year investigation into the circumstances around his untimely passing.
—
Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
As the world marks ten years since Prince’s untimely death in the spring of 2016, Minneapolis, the city that birthed him, wants to mark the significance of the moment.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
Rebel Without a Cause and Giant were both released afterwards; he was posthumously nominated for Best Actor Oscars for both roles, cementing his place as a Hollywood icon whose impact and influence would endure far past his untimely death.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 20 Apr. 2026
Prices are surging this year because of untimely rains that flooded the crop last season and caused the spread of fungal disease.
—Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for untimely
Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
As the world marks ten years since Prince’s untimely death in the spring of 2016, Minneapolis, the city that birthed him, wants to mark the significance of the moment.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
Rebel Without a Cause and Giant were both released afterwards; he was posthumously nominated for Best Actor Oscars for both roles, cementing his place as a Hollywood icon whose impact and influence would endure far past his untimely death.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 20 Apr. 2026
Prices are surging this year because of untimely rains that flooded the crop last season and caused the spread of fungal disease.
—Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for untimely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untimely
Adjective
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Plane tickets are getting pricier After jumping to $209 a barrel in early April, the global price of jet fuel eased last week to around $179, still well above the roughly $99 at the end of February.—
Mae Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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Photograph courtesy 2025 Adama Films / Shochiku Yasujirō Ozu, who made dozens of masterworks from the nineteen-thirties through the early sixties, is among the most misunderstood of great directors.—
Dan Stahl,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Other risks associated with poor air quality include premature death and low birth weight.—
Natassia Paloma,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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Researchers also found oxybenzone damages DNA and triggers premature skeleton formation that can encase entire larvae.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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To use words in ways that are unexpected or surprising, to repurpose some of the legalese that has been weaponized against my characters.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
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Objects that once seemed temporary now reveal unexpected permanence.—
Sudhir Gupta,
Rolling Stone,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Early in his baseball career, Kaneland pitcher Jack Frey came to a sudden realization.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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The turmoil has included the sudden resignation of then-Supt.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Twenty-six years ago, students treated a visit by then-President Bill Clinton as a challenge, and outwitted the Secret Service by secretly rigging a banner to unfurl at an inopportune moment.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
26 Apr. 2026
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With the midterms ahead and the economy teetering, this seems like a particularly inopportune time to have a spat with the first American pope — who also happens to come from Chicago, long one of the nation’s most Catholic cities.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Untimely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untimely. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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