Word of the Day

: October 7, 2010

untoward

adjective un-TOH-erd

What It Means

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

2 : not favorable : adverse, unpropitious

3 : improper, indecorous

untoward in Context

The coach forewarned the players that any untoward behavior, on or off the field, would not be tolerated.

"According to preliminary reports, the voting on Wednesday proceeded smoothly. Other than the usual minor glitches, there were no untoward incidents." -- From an article in The Kansas City Star, August 5, 2010

Did You Know?

More than 700 years ago, English speakers began using the word "toward" for "forward-moving" youngsters, the kind who showed promise and were open to listening to their elders. After about 150 years, the use was broadened somewhat to mean simply "docile" or "obliging." The opposite of this "toward" is "froward," meaning "perverse" or "ungovernable." Today, "froward" has fallen out of common use, and the cooperative sense of "toward" is downright obsolete, but the "newcomer" to this series -- "untoward" -- has kept its toehold. "Untoward" first showed up in the 1400s, and it is still used, just as it was then, as a synonym of "unruly," though it has since acquired other meanings as well.

Test Your Memory: What former Word of the Day means "like a fox." The answer is ...