untoward

play

adjective un·to·ward \ˌən-ˈtō-ərd, -ˈtȯ(-ə)rd; ˌən-tə-ˈwȯrd\

Definition of untoward

1 : difficult to guide, manage, or work with : unruly, intractable
2a : marked by trouble or unhappiness : unluckyb : not favorable : adverse, unpropitious untoward side effects
3 : improper, indecorous

untowardly

adverb

untowardness

noun

See untoward defined for English-language learners

See untoward defined for kids

untoward was our Word of the Day on 09/07/2016. Hear the podcast!

Examples of untoward in a Sentence

There was nothing untoward about his appearance.
tried to reason with the untoward child

Recent Examples of untoward from the Web

The answer presented in DeRogatis’s piece offers a chilling look at the way that fame and the legal system can create a cloak of impunity for men who use their influence to untoward personal ends.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "R. Kelly's Alleged Sex 'Cult' and the Shield of Fame," 17 July 2017
Kremlin officials had a different account, saying Trump appeared accepting of Putin’s denials that Moscow did anything untoward to shape the election.

— josh boak, The Seattle Times, "AP FACT CHECK: Trump on the ‘blazing’ economy, Russia, NATO," 10 July 2017
Sessions and his spokesperson each denied there was anything untoward about the meetings, or about his statement to the Senate.

— jack holmes, Esquire, "All of the Trump Administration's Ties to Russia (That We Know About)," 10 July 2017
Kremlin officials had a different account, saying Trump appeared accepting of Putin's denials that Moscow did anything untoward to shape the election.

— calvin woodward and josh boak, chicagotribune.com, "Fact check: Trump on Moscow mischief, Putin meeting and 'blazing' economy," 8 July 2017
Dennis says the national buzz is good exposure for their cuisine, but has also had the untoward side effect of exploiting their culture.

— kai oliver-kurtin, USA TODAY, "Is culinary success spoiling Charleston?," 30 June 2017
Apparently Kourtney mentioned sex, which Scott thought that was untoward for a Christian mother of three.

— mariah smith, The Cut, "Even Kardashians Are Told to Freeze Their Eggs," 12 June 2017
How serious is this in terms of implicating Kushner in anything untoward with the Russians?

— WSJ, "Peace Out, Paris," 6 June 2017
Kelly, in separate talk-show appearances on Sunday, said there was nothing untoward about an incoming administration establishing communications with a foreign power in order to lay the groundwork for better relations.

— brian bennett, latimes.com, "Watch live: White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer holds the daily news briefing," 30 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'untoward.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

toward and Untoward

More than 700 years ago, English speakers began using the word toward for "forward-moving" youngsters, the kind who showed promise and were open to listening to their elders. After about 150 years, the use was broadened somewhat to mean simply "docile" or "obliging." The opposite of this toward is froward, meaning "perverse" or "ungovernable." Today, froward has fallen out of common use, and the cooperative sense of toward is downright obsolete, but the newcomer to this series—untoward—has kept its toehold. Untoward first showed up as a synonym of unruly in the 1500s, and it is still used, just as it was then, though it has since acquired other meanings as well.