untoward

English

WOTD – 21 July 2009

Etymology

un- +‎ toward (“to +‎ -ward”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌʌn.tʊˈwɔːd/
• IPA^(key): /ʌnˈtɔɹd/, /ˌʌn.təˈwɔɹd/

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(r)d

Adjective

untoward (comparative more untoward, superlative most untoward)

1. Unfavourable, adverse, or disadvantageous.
   • 1886-88, Richard F. Burton, The Supplemental Nights to the Thousand Nights and a Night:

     But as soon as her son espied her, bowl in hand, he thought that haply something untoward had befallen her, but he would not ask of aught until such time as she had set down the bowl, when she acquainted him with that which had occurred […]

   • 2004, Jan Riordan, chapter 5, in Breastfeeding and Human Lactation, →ISBN, page 149:

     No untoward effects were reported; however, this was not a blinded or controlled study.

   • 2007, Steven C. Schachter et al., chapter 4, in Behavioral Aspects of Epilepsy: Principles and Practice, →ISBN, page 282:

     However, these guidelines may not be applicable to all individuals with refractory epilepsy, in whom seizure control is not achieved without using polytherapy or resection surgery with their untoward side effects.

2. Unruly, troublesome; not easily guided.
3. Unseemly, improper.
   • 1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter I, in Mansfield Park: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, pages 2–3:

     She could hardly have made a more untoward choice.

   • 2005, John Martin, Organizational Behaviour and Management, →ISBN, page 518:

     The managing director was very depressed at the news, but realized that trying to prove anything untoward had taken place would be very difficult.

Synonyms

• (unfavorable, adverse): adverse, disadvantageous, inconvenient, unfavorable, unfortunate
• (unruly, troublesome): difficult, fractious, stubborn, troublesome, uncontrollable, unruly
• (unseemly, improper): immodest, improper, unseemly

Translations

unfavourable, adverse, or disadvantageous

• Armenian: անբարենպաստ (hy) (anbarenpast), ձախորդ (hy) (jaxord), դժբախտ (hy) (džbaxt)
• Danish: uønsket (da), utilsigtet
• Dutch: ongunstig (nl)schadelijk (nl)
• French: désavantageux (fr), nocif (fr), défavorable (fr)
• German: ungünstig (de), schädlich (de), unvorteilhaft (de)
• Italian: avverso (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: uønsket (no), utilsiktet, ugunstig

• Occitan: desfavorable, desavantajós, advèrs, contrari
• Persian: نامساعد (fa) (nâmosâ'ed), فریرون (fa) (farirun)
• Spanish: desfavorable (es), adverso (es), desventajoso

unruly, troublesome

• Armenian: անհնազանդ (hy) (anhnazand), համառ (hy) (hamaṙ), կամակոր (hy) (kamakor)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 麻煩的／麻烦的, 棘手的, 難以控制的／难以控制的

• Danish: besværlig, vanskelig, anstrengende, problematisk
• Dutch: vervelend (nl)
• French: irrégulier (fr)ennuyeux (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: problematisch (de), schwierig (de), ärgerlich (de)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: besværlig, vanskelig (no), anstrengende

• Occitan: problematic
• Spanish: problemático (es)

unseemly, improper

• Armenian: անվայելուչ (hy) (anvayelučʻ), անպատշաճ (hy) (anpatšač), անվայել (hy) (anvayel)
• Danish: upassende, ufin
• Dutch: onbetamelijk (nl)onwelvoeglijk (nl)
• French: inopportun (fr)déplacé (fr)
• German: ungünstig (de), unangebracht
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: upassende (no), ufin

  Nynorsk: upassande, ufin

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Occitan: impròpri
• Slovak: nevhodný m
• Spanish: impropio (es)

Anagrams

• drawn out, drawn-out, outdrawn