untoward
Americanadjective
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unfavorable or unfortunate.
Untoward circumstances forced him into bankruptcy.
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improper.
untoward social behavior.
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Archaic. froward; perverse.
adjective
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characterized by misfortune, disaster, or annoyance
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not auspicious; adverse; unfavourable
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unseemly or improper
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out of the ordinary; out of the way
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archaic refractory; perverse
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obsolete awkward, ungainly, or uncouth
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of untoward
Explanation
The adjective untoward describes something offensive or inappropriate, like the rumors of untoward behavior that can shatter a Hollywood icon's reputation. Untoward also describes things that are not good for you, such as untoward advice from someone your parents always said was a bad influence. Think about what you do when you move toward something: you get closer to it. Suppose you're moving toward a goal. You are, as they say, "on the right path." But when you add the prefix un- you reverse that, and you're no longer on the path to that goal — you're untoward.
Vocabulary lists containing untoward
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Out of sight, out of mind and into the gutter: Untoward ideas silenced by polite society inevitably go underground.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 7, 2020
The tournament's Untoward Incident Review Group is to review the matter.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2017
Untoward reactions, even death, may result from the administration of sulfanilamide.
From Time Magazine Archive
Untoward things may be divided, for the sake of convenience, into two main classes, sections, or categories: 1.
From South Wind by Douglas, Norman
Untoward, un-tō′ard, adj. not easily guided: froward: awkward: inconvenient—also Untō′wardly.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
