wayward
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2 ENTRIES FOUND:

way·ward

adjective \ˈwā-wərd\

Definition of WAYWARD

1
: following one's own capricious, wanton, or depraved inclinations : ungovernable <a wayward child>
2
: following no clear principle or law : unpredictable
3
: opposite to what is desired or expected : untoward <wayward fate>
way·ward·ly adverb
way·ward·ness noun

Examples of WAYWARD

  1. parents of a wayward teenager
  2. <had always been the most wayward of their three children>

Origin of WAYWARD

Middle English, short for awayward turned away, from away, adverb + -ward
First Known Use: 14th century

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