froward

adjective

fro·​ward ˈfrō-(w)ərd 

1

: habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition

2

archaic : adverse

frowardly adverb

frowardness noun

Did you know?

Once upon a time, in the days of Middle English, froward and toward were opposites. Froward meant "moving or facing away from something or someone;" toward meant "moving or facing in the direction of something or someone." (The suffix -ward is from Old English -weard, meaning "moving, tending, facing.") Froward also meant "difficult to deal with, perverse"; toward meant "willing, compliant, obliging." Each went its own way in the end: froward lost its "away from" sense as long ago as the 16th century and the "willing" sense of toward disappeared in the 18th century. A third relative, untoward, developed in the 15th century as a synonym for froward in its "unruly or intractable" sense, and later developed other meanings, including "improper or indecorous."

Synonyms

• bad
• contrary
• errant
• misbehaving
• mischievous
• naughty

Examples of froward in a Sentence

their froward pranks are not appropriate in the workplace

froward students sent to the office for chronic disciplinary problems

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, turned away, froward, from fro from + -ward -ward

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

froward

adjective

fro·​ward ˈfrō-(w)ərd 

: likely to disobey and oppose : willful

frowardly adverb

frowardness noun