untoward

[Christopher kim]

If you see anything untoward, please let us know.

I pray for you so that  no untoward incident happened

He had noticed nothing untoward.

this UNWANTED generation

UNWANTED circumstances

WORD OF THE DAY

No-one was looking out for untoward effects in what we expect.

From everything we know, he did nothing untoward with these girls,

 no untoward incident happened during the five-day exposition.

The untoward behavior of some politicians is unacceptable.

He had noticed nothing untoward

That’s the plan—unless anything untoward happens

I pray you, do not register untoward dismay.

I pray for you so that you do not  untoward dismay.

The surveyor's report didn't highlight anything untoward.

There's absolutely no chance of anything untoward happening here

If you see anything untoward, please let us know.

She examined me and found nothing untoward which is bad.

Word of the Day:
untoward
This word has appeared in 21 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?

Give this article

6
An illustration of a student saying the word "untoward"
Credit...Cindy Lozito
By The Learning Network
May 18, 2023

untoward \ ˌən-tə-ˈwȯrd \ adjective
1. not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society; improper

2. contrary to one’s interests or welfare

Listen to the pronunciation.
Powered by Vocabulary.com

The word untoward has appeared in 21 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Jan. 22 in “Manhattan College Plans a Basketball Revival. But First, Some Chaos” by Billy Witz:

Those greetings hinted at what surely bubbled beneath the surface for Masiello, who was fired by Manhattan on Oct. 25, less than two weeks before the start of his 12th season as the Jaspers’ head coach.

He joined the staff of Pitino, his lifelong basketball guru, at Iona almost immediately.

… As volatile as the coaching profession can be, the timing of Masiello’s dismissal was stunning.

October is not the firing season. On the rare occasion a coach is fired on the cusp of a new season, it’s often for something untoward — Jim Harrick getting dumped by U.C.L.A. for lying to his boss or Pitino being booted at Louisville in the wake of an F.B.I. corruption sting.

Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word untoward in a sentence?

untoward (adj.)

1520s, "not having inclination" (to or for something), also "difficult to manage, unruly," from un- (1) "not" + toward (adj.).

also from 1520s

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how untoward can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

Show Full Article
Free lesson plans, writing prompts and activities for students, all based on Times journalism.
The Learning Network