froward
/ˈfROʊ.wərd/
adjective
Origin
Old English
framweard — turned away, directed away
Overview
Meaning Now
- habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition; refractory
- difficult to deal with; contrary or perverse
Literal older meaning
facing away or forward-moving in a contrary direction
Language path
Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
froward
Earliest period
12th century
Journey
The word is a precise antonym to 'toward'. While 'toward' implies moving in the direction of something, 'froward' historically meant moving away from it. By the late Middle Ages, the term shifted from indicating physical direction to describing a person's temperament, implying they are turning away from social or moral norms.
Evolution
- Old English
framweard
“turned away; about to depart”
- Middle English
froward
“turning away; contrary”
Transition from spatial sense to behavioral sense
- Early Modern English
froward
“perverse; disobedient”
Common in literary and biblical English
- Modern English
froward
“disposed to opposition”
Now archaic or literary
Connections
Word parts
fro
root
from/away
ward
suffix
in the direction of
Related across languages
Old Norse
frá
from
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Related to froward
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.