Untowardly

adj, adv

adj, adv ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Untoward.

    "1561, Baldassare Castiglione, The Book of the Courtier (1528), translated by Thomas Hoby, London: David Nutt, 1900, Book One, pp. 41-42, To disgrace therefore many untowardly asseheades, that through malepertnes thinke to purchase them the name of a good Courtyer, I would have suche a pastime for this night, that one of the company myght bee picked out who should take in hand to shape in woordes a good Courtyer, specifying all suche condicions and particuler qualities, as of necessitie must be in hym that deserveth this name."

Adverb
  1. 1
    In an untoward way.

    "Those ruddy plumes, embrew′d with heavenly food, / When I would suck them, twine to driest coral; / And when I couch between her lily buds, / They surge like frothy water mounts above all: / Surely, they were all made unto good uses, / But she them all untowardly abuses."

Example

More examples

"Those ruddy plumes, embrew′d with heavenly food, / When I would suck them, twine to driest coral; / And when I couch between her lily buds, / They surge like frothy water mounts above all: / Surely, they were all made unto good uses, / But she them all untowardly abuses."

Etymology

From untoward + -ly.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.