Writers use "untoward" with notable flexibility, employing it to denote events or qualities that are adverse, unexpected, or unwelcome. In narrative accounts, it can describe sudden, disruptive incidents—a mishap or accident that derails proceedings, as in one work where the most untoward event unfolds amidst folk tales [1] or where a journey is marked by no untoward accident [2]. It is also applied to characterize undesirable personal traits or obligations, as when an untoward obligation is described in a reflective essay [3] or when a character’s rebellious temperament is labeled untoward [4]. Even in dramatic or humorous discourse, the term underscores misfortune or inopportune circumstances, as when a character is denounced as an untoward knave [5]. This varied deployment not only enriches the texture of the description but also subtly conveys the disruption such events or traits impose on the narrative’s order.