froward

/ˈfroʊ(w)ərd/

Other forms: frowardly

Froward means willful and disobedient. If your dog sits when you call her to come and runs away when you tell her to sit, you can say she's froward.

The adverb froward is an old-fashioned way to describe someone who's difficult and ornery. It's a lot more fun to babysit agreeable kids than froward ones. New teachers have nightmares about classes full of froward students and are relieved to find pleasant and polite ones on the first day of school. The Old English root of froward is frāward, "turning away from," or the opposite of toward.

Definitions of froward

1. adjective

   habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition
   synonyms: headstrong, self-willed, wilful, willful

   disobedient

   not obeying or complying with commands of those in authority