untoward

Etymology

un- +‎ toward

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌʌn.tʊˈwɔːd/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ʌnˈtɔɹd/, /ˌʌn.təˈwɔɹd/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(r)d

Adjective

untoward (comparative more untoward, superlative most untoward)

1. Unfavourable, adverse, or disadvantageous.
   • 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 July, [Jane Austen], chapter I, in Mansfield Park: A Novel. In Three Volumes, volume I, London: Printed for T[homas] Egerton, Military Library, Whitehall, OCLC 39810224, 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.

Anagrams

• drawn out, drawn-out, outdrawn