untoward

American  

[uhn-tawrd, -tohrd] / ʌnˈtɔrd, -ˈtoʊrd /

adjective

1. unfavorable or unfortunate.

   Untoward circumstances forced him into bankruptcy.

2. improper.

   untoward social behavior.

3. Archaic. froward; perverse.

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untoward British  

/ ˌʌntəˈwɔːd, ʌnˈtəʊəd /

adjective

1. characterized by misfortune, disaster, or annoyance

2. not auspicious; adverse; unfavourable

3. unseemly or improper

4. out of the ordinary; out of the way

5. archaic refractory; perverse

6. obsolete awkward, ungainly, or uncouth

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Other Word Forms

• untowardly adverb
• untowardness noun

Etymology

Origin of untoward

First recorded in 1520–30; un- ¹ + toward

Example Sentences

Is she doing something untoward with his money?

From MarketWatch

“There were times during those days that we did not make it to school due to inclement weather or some other untoward event,” she wrote in a biographical post on the McAdoo Center website.

From Los Angeles Times

“I hope nothing untoward happens to him this time,” she thought.

From Literature

A police patrol investigated but found nothing untoward.

From BBC

“I just know,” she insists, “something untoward has happened.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• adverse
• disturbing
• perverse
• unfortunate
• unmanageable