1
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
tried to reason with the untoward child
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uncontrollable
given to resisting control or discipline by others
a program for untoward teenagers that is designed to give them the kind of discipline that their parents were unable or unwilling to administer
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3
as in adverse
opposed to one's interests
achieved great success as an artist despite growing up in a very untoward milieu
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4
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
unfortunately, one of the symptoms of dementia can be a tendency to make untoward and often shocking remarks
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of untoward
Nearly two years after Denny Crum's death and an untoward incident that left his gravesite monument at the bottom of the Red Sea, the legendary University of Louisville men's basketball coach's final resting place is nearing completion.
—
Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
Oh, and there's a human operator on board in the front passenger seat, instructed to remain silent through the trip and be prepared to hit a kill switch in case of any untoward incidents in traffic.
—New Atlas, 23 June 2025
Using that data, the system monitors the dark web and other sources for any untoward activity involving that personal data.
—PC Magazine, 17 June 2025
At the very least, Democrats and Republicans agree that wafting cigarette smoke in someone’s face and capturing their reaction on video — without first asking — is untoward.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for untoward
Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
Oh, and there's a human operator on board in the front passenger seat, instructed to remain silent through the trip and be prepared to hit a kill switch in case of any untoward incidents in traffic.
—New Atlas, 23 June 2025
Using that data, the system monitors the dark web and other sources for any untoward activity involving that personal data.
—PC Magazine, 17 June 2025
At the very least, Democrats and Republicans agree that wafting cigarette smoke in someone’s face and capturing their reaction on video — without first asking — is untoward.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for untoward
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untoward
Adjective
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Your 6th House of Labor hosts mental Mercury, which squares rebellious Uranus in your 9th House of Journeys, stirring tension between tradition and modernization.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
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Lang went on to appear in most of Fuller’s films, including playing a rebellious German countess in his 1980 war epic The Big Red One, and several by their friend Wim Wenders.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Executives who dismiss culture as intangible or uncontrollable are misreading how today’s markets and consumers behave.—
Christopher Vollmer,
Fortune,
9 Feb. 2026
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This is partially why even minor balances become uncontrollable if not dealt with immediately.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That agreement committed both nations to consult on security issues and respond to adverse challenges.—
NINIEK KARMINI,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
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This fragmentation creates blind spots that contribute to adverse drug events, duplication of therapy and inefficient care and harms that ultimately drive up total health care costs.—
Sreedhar Potarazu,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The dashboard may identify patients who may have started on a new medication that interacts with a DOAC, patients who have had a change in their kidney function or who have been prescribed an inappropriate dose.—
David Cox,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
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Other emails from the latest crop of the Epstein files include other inappropriate comments about Beatrice and Eugenie.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The rebel operation that Erdoğan approved seems to have been intended as a way to prod Assad to negotiate; it was framed not as an invasion but as a defensive move.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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The image, known as the rebel loon, blends the outline of a loon with the familiar rebellion emblem.—
Nick Lunemann,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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On some of the country’s biggest lakes, often hundreds of miles wide with no current, an unfavorable wind made a waterway impassible.—
Outside,
Outside,
7 Feb. 2026
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That is, clinicians have a duty to restrict the range of clinical options, because medical interventions with unfavorable risk/benefit profiles can set back patients’ health interests rather than protecting or promoting them.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The higher the improper payment rate, the bigger the financial hit.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
7 Feb. 2026
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Young children are still learning what are proper and improper behaviors.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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His couplets—stitched together by a rhyme—typically saunter in contrary directions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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The video of the incident, now seen across the world and studied by non-partisan law enforcement experts, provides contrary evidence.—
Ken Molestina,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Untoward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untoward. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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