untoward

adjective

un·​to·​ward ˌən-ˈtō-ərd 

-ˈtȯ(-ə)rd;

ˌən-tə-ˈwȯrd 

1

formal : difficult to guide, manage, or work with : unruly, intractable

They must … explore the planet, they must repair their ship. But the six explorers are an untoward lot …

—John Clute

2

a

formal : marked by trouble or unhappiness : unlucky

an untoward fate

b

formal : not favorable : adverse, unpropitious

untoward side effects

3

formal : improper, indecorous

My trumpet-led procession around the square was nothing untoward, I gathered.

—Jan Morris

untowardly adverb

untowardness noun

Did you know?

Toward and Untoward

For centuries, the adjective toward described “forward-moving” youngsters, the kind who showed promise and were open to listening to their elders. The adjective then came to mean amiable or obliging. The opposite of this now-obsolete sense of toward is froward, meaning “disobedient.” Froward has fallen out of common use, but thankfully another toward antonym, untoward, obliged in picking up the slack. In addition to describing people or things that are “difficult to guide, manage, or work with,” untoward today is applied to that which is unfavorable or adverse, as well as to things that are inappropriate or in bad taste.

Synonyms of untoward

• rebellious
• rebel
• contrary
• defiant

Examples of untoward in a Sentence

There was nothing untoward about his appearance.

tried to reason with the untoward child

Recent Examples on the Web

None of these inspections turned up anything untoward. —Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 25 Sep. 2025

During a ChatGPT conversation, the AI discerns that the person is on the brink of doing something untoward. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Nor is there anything untoward and deceptive about it. —Adam Gelb, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025

Nearly two years after Denny Crum's death and an untoward incident that left his gravesite monument at the bottom of the Red Sea, the legendary University of Louisville men's basketball coach's final resting place is nearing completion. —Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for untoward

• checkerboard
• clavichord
• fiberboard
• fibreboard
• fingerboard
• harpsichord
• motherboard
• notochord
• overboard
• overlord
• paperboard
• plasterboard

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Kids Definition

untoward

adjective

un·​to·​ward ˌən-ˈtō(-ə)rd  ˈən- 

-ˈtȯ(-ə)rd;

ˌən-tə-ˈwȯ(ə)rd

1

: hard to manage : stubborn, willful

an untoward child

2

: causing trouble : unlucky

an untoward accident