- characterized by misfortune, disaster, or annoyance
- not auspicious; adverse; unfavourable
- unseemly or improper
- out of the ordinary; out of the way
- archaic refractory; perverse
- obsolete awkward, ungainly, or uncouth
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
un•to•ward /ʌnˈtɔrd/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- unfavorable or unfortunate:Untoward circumstances forced him into bankruptcy.
- improper:untoward social behavior.
un•to•ward
(un tôrd′, -tōrd′),USA pronunciation adj.
un•to•ward′ly, adv.
un•to•ward′ness, n.
- unfavorable or unfortunate:Untoward circumstances forced him into bankruptcy.
- improper:untoward social behavior.
- [Archaic.]froward;
perverse.
- un-1 + toward 1520–30
un•to•ward′ness, n.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
untoward /ˌʌntəˈwɔːd; ʌnˈtəʊəd/ adj
'untoward' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):