poor decision

[pɔr dɪˈsɪʒən]
noun phrasepl: poor decisions
má decisão
1. a choice or judgment that turns out to be wrong, unwise, or harmful; a decision lacking in good judgment or foresight
Quitting his job without another offer lined up was a poor decision.
Sair do emprego sem ter outra oportunidade era uma má decisão.
2. a choice made without adequate consideration of consequences or alternatives
It was a poor decision to invest all his savings in that company.
Foi uma má decisão investir todas as suas economias naquela empresa.
In both Brazilian and American English-speaking cultures, acknowledging a 'poor decision' is often seen as demonstrating self-awareness and maturity. Brazilians tend to be more expressive about mistakes ('que péssima decisão!'), while in the USA there's often more emphasis on learning from poor decisions and moving forward. In business contexts, both cultures value transparency about past poor decisions as a sign of leadership development.
NYC Slang
wack move / bad call / dumb move
Synonyms / Sinônimos
bad decisionwrong choiceunwise decisionmistakeill-advised choicepoor judgmentblunder
Antonyms / Antônimos
good decisionwise choicesound decisionsmart moveprudent decision

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
má decisão
most common and standard translation
Rio de Janeiro
péssima decisão
informal, emphasizing severity of poor choice
São Paulo
má decisão / decisão ruim
both forms are commonly used in business and formal contexts
Portugal
má decisão / decisão desajuizada
desajuizada is more formal in European Portuguese

Related Words

judgmentconsequencechoicemistakeregretoutcome

Related Idioms & Phrases

jump the gun (to make a hasty poor decision)
put all your eggs in one basket (to make a poor strategic decision)
bite off more than you can chew (to make an overambitious poor decision)
atirar dinheiro pela janela (lit: throw money out the window - Brazilian idiom for wasting resources through poor decisions)
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