untoward

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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

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
Trump officials will respond that there is nothing untoward about what happened.

— julian zelizer, CNN, "How Kushner could play the Nixon card", 27 May 2017
Faulconer spokesman Matt Awbrey said there was nothing untoward about Diana Puetz lobbying her husband — or his boss and coworkers.

— jeff mcdonald, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Mayor's top aide got married at bayfront estate of developer and SoccerCity supporter", 12 May 2017
In another segment, Ed Henry, Fox News’s chief national correspondent and a former White House reporter, joined the hosts in deriding the idea that anything untoward had happened.

— david weigel, Washington Post, "From Fox News to the Senate floor, Republicans close ranks behind Trump firing Comey", 10 May 2017
According to Eamon, complete transparency strengthens democracy — nothing untoward can happen behind closed doors.

— mick lasalle, idahostatesman, "‘The Circle’ a tale of technology run amok", 28 Apr. 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.