WAYWARD Synonyms: 142 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'wayward' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of wayward are balky , contrary , perverse , and restive . While all these words mean "inclined to resist authority or control," wayward suggests strong-willed capriciousness and irregularity in behavior. // a school for wayward youths

Q: When can 'balky' be used instead of 'wayward'?

The synonyms balky and wayward are sometimes interchangeable, but balky suggests a refusing to proceed in a desired direction or course of action. // a balky witness

Q: When would 'contrary' be a good substitute for 'wayward'?

The meanings of contrary and wayward largely overlap; however, contrary implies a temperamental unwillingness to accept orders or advice. // a contrary child

Q: When might 'perverse' be a better fit than 'wayward'?

While the synonyms perverse and wayward are close in meaning, perverse may imply wrongheaded, determined, or cranky opposition to what is reasonable or normal. // a perverse , intractable critic

Q: In what contexts can 'restive' take the place of 'wayward'?

The words restive and wayward are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, restive suggests unwillingness or inability to submit to discipline or follow orders. // tired soldiers growing restive

wayward

adjective

ˈwā-wərd

Definition of wayward

as in rebellious

given to resisting authority or another's control had always been the most wayward of their three children

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stubborn

given to resisting control or discipline by others an institution to which wayward teens were often sent

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective wayward contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of wayward are balky, contrary, perverse, and restive. While all these words mean "inclined to resist authority or control," wayward suggests strong-willed capriciousness and irregularity in behavior.

a school for wayward youths

When can balky be used instead of wayward?

The synonyms balky and wayward are sometimes interchangeable, but balky suggests a refusing to proceed in a desired direction or course of action.

a balky witness

When would contrary be a good substitute for wayward?

The meanings of contrary and wayward largely overlap; however, contrary implies a temperamental unwillingness to accept orders or advice.

a contrary child

When might perverse be a better fit than wayward?

While the synonyms perverse and wayward are close in meaning, perverse may imply wrongheaded, determined, or cranky opposition to what is reasonable or normal.

a perverse, intractable critic

In what contexts can restive take the place of wayward?

The words restive and wayward are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, restive suggests unwillingness or inability to submit to discipline or follow orders.

tired soldiers growing restive

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of wayward What at first felt fun — like guiding a sweet wayward child — soon felt like a crazymaking psychological experiment. — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2026 Power brings a warmer and more wayward sensibility to such material than, say, the German photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher, whose deadpan grids of coal tipples and water towers drained industrial structures of affect. — Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 23 June 2026 Call it hypocrisy or honesty, either way, Season 3 is a joyless exercise that’s nonetheless an improvement on the wayward Season 2. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 June 2026 Spielberg uses the occasion to depict yet another wayward dad (Cruise) stepping up for his family. — Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for wayward

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wayward

Adjective

For seven seasons, a hodgepodge crew mixing Starfleet and the rebellious Maquis put aside their differences after they got zapped 70,000 lightyears away from Earth, deep into the uncharted Delta Quadrant.

— Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 4 July 2026
This could bring about sudden ideas, or trigger rebellious impulses and creative imagination.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

Definition of rebellious

Adjective

For lipedema, Power Plate points to research suggesting whole-body vibration boosts lymphatic flow, which may liquefy and drain stubborn lymph fluid, relieve swelling and ease chronic pain.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2026
The grower will plant again next season, because that is what Israelis do, and the hope in that is stubborn.

— Frayda Leibtag, Time, 13 July 2026

Definition of stubborn

Adjective

Under the Obama administration, an international coalition targeting the Libyan regime of Moammar Qadafi during the country’s 2011 civil war struck his fleeing convoy, leading to his capture and killing by rebel fighters.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
Assad was forced to flee the country after government forces collapsed in the face of a surprise offensive launched by a coalition of rebel groups, led by Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

— David Brennan, ABC News, 7 July 2026

Definition of rebel

Adjective

The 84-year-old American makes unruly mixed media sculptures that have challenged the traditional art establishment (conventionalists found her use of latex and glitter most unsettling).

— Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
There is nothing more unfair to the board and the attending owners than when one or more owners hijack a meeting with unruly behavior.

— Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2026

Definition of unruly

Adjective

Juano Hernandez, one of the finest of all American actors, plays a proudly defiant Black man falsely accused of murder.

— Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026
Her face displays the trademark unibrow and faint mustache — a gender-bending look that, scholars say, reflects Kahlo’s defiant repudiation of the classic female aesthetic.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of defiant

Adjective

Part of the problem is that, outside of their tenants’ pleas, landlords face neither any real pressure nor any legal requirement to install shutters and ceiling fans; even owners who want to do so are thwarted by recalcitrant co-op boards or finicky historic-preservation reviews.

— Henry Grabar, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026
The patron saint of the 2024 Democratic National Convention was Fannie Lou Hamer—recalcitrant sharecropper turned agitator and, like the Democratic presidential nominee, a black woman.

— Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026

Definition of recalcitrant

Adjective

When an ocelot begins prowling the neighborhood and a mysterious green light appears in the sky, Bernardo is forced to confront the harsh, uncontrollable nature of growing up.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 13 July 2026
McCall tried to create a contrast between the locations, with the Cady clan’s surroundings having an overgrown quality reflecting the uncontrollable insanity at the heart of the family.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 10 July 2026

Definition of uncontrollable

Adjective

In 2018, the IRS closed the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP), ending the formal disclosure program designed primarily for taxpayers with potential criminal exposure or willful violations relating to unreported offshore holdings.

— Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Federal law generally prohibits direct service connection for addiction classified as resulting from willful misconduct.

— Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 29 June 2026

Definition of willful

Cite this Entry

Style

“Wayward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wayward. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of wayward

adjective

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on wayward

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

quid pro quo

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes