wayward

adjective

way·​ward ˈwā-wərd How to pronounce wayward (audio)
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
waywardly adverb
waywardness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for wayward

contrary, perverse, restive, balky, wayward mean inclined to resist authority or control.

contrary implies a temperamental unwillingness to accept orders or advice.

a contrary child

perverse may imply wrongheaded, determined, or cranky opposition to what is reasonable or normal.

a perverse, intractable critic

restive suggests unwillingness or inability to submit to discipline or follow orders.

tired soldiers growing restive

balky suggests a refusing to proceed in a desired direction or course of action.

a balky witness

wayward suggests strong-willed capriciousness and irregularity in behavior.

a school for wayward youths

Examples of wayward in a Sentence

parents of a wayward teenager had always been the most wayward of their three children
Recent Examples on the Web Barbie Fashionistas Playset Ultimate Closet There are few things as painful as stepping on a wayward Barbie shoe. Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 4 Mar. 2024 The year is 1834, the location is Duluth, Minnesota, where a group of wayward travelers whose lives intersect at a guesthouse filled with music, life and hope. The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 In the 14-episode series, Mod plays a brilliant yet self-destructive working-class writer who falls in love with wayward posh boy Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall) on their final day at university in 1988. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 4 Mar. 2024 The complaint argues that the company went wayward in recent years after decisions to create a for-profit subsidiary, give Microsoft an exclusive license to some of its technology, and keeping secret the internal design of ChatGPT's latest version. Juliana Kim, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 His final round featured five birdies – including an excellent long putt on the fifth – as well as some wayward moments: a double bogey on the second hole and three further bogeys on the eighth, 11th and 16th. George Ramsay, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024 Sure, there were the local drunks, the teenage hooligans who tortured stray cats, but even these wayward bees had a place in the hive. Alexander Nazaryan, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024 But the Giants only survived thanks to K Scott Norwood's wayward 47-yard field-goal try in the final seconds. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 The central bank has made notable headway in bringing down wayward inflation since starting to raise rates aggressively nearly two years ago. Krystal Hur, CNN, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wayward.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, short for awayward turned away, from away, adverb + -ward

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wayward was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near wayward

Cite this Entry

“Wayward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wayward. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wayward

adjective
way·​ward ˈwā-wərd How to pronounce wayward (audio)
1
: tending to do as one pleases : disobedient
wayward children
2
: not following a rule or regular course of action
waywardly adverb
waywardness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on wayward

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