witherward
/ˈwɪðə(ɹ)wə(ɹ)d/
"witherward" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“witherward” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Adverse, contrary.
Corpus desk
Index EN-witherward · witherward · English
witherward · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "W" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | witherward |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈwɪðə(ɹ)wə(ɹ)d/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “witherward” in English
Rare enough to double-check
witherward is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈwɪðə(ɹ)wə(ɹ)d/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for witherward, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English witherward, from Old English wiþerweard (“contrary, adverse, hostile”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiþraward, from Proto-Germanic *wiþrawardaz (“contrary, adverse, in opposition”); equivalent to wither (“against”) + -ward. Cognate with Ol… The correct English form is witherward, spelled W-I-T-H-E-R-W-A-R-D.
Definition
- 1Adverse, contrary.
- 2Opposite, opposing; hostile.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how witherward appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Such a witherward and rotten friend she was.
[…] then appeared to me along the way by which I formerly came amid the darkness, as it were the brightness of a shining star, and the light was waxing more and more, and quickly hastening to me, and as soon as it came nigh me, then were scattered and away fled all the witherward ghosts, which formerly threatened me with their tongs, [...]
Etymology
From Middle English witherward, from Old English wiþerweard (“contrary, adverse, hostile”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiþraward, from Proto-Germanic *wiþrawardaz (“contrary, adverse, in opposition”); equivalent to wither (“against”) + -ward. Cognate with Old High German widarwart (“witherward”), German widerwärtig (“adverse, repulsive”), Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌸𐍂𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐍃 (wiþrawairþs, “witherward”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.