WAYWARDNESS Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

waywardness

noun

Definition of waywardness

as in rebellion

refusal to obey the unremitting waywardness of the child frustrated her parents at times

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for waywardness

Noun

Meanwhile, Yudkowsky took such tropes of rebellion and rule-breaking and built a philosophical apparatus around them.

— Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2026
The Uprising’s final act does get unwieldy, as the director tries to show just how the rebellion was betrayed.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of rebellion

Noun

Her Easter Sunday performance at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 in front of 75,000 spectators remains a touchstone of defiance in an age of racial violence.

— Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Her decision to so publicly criticize him was a rare instance of GOP defiance, especially in her district, which Trump carried by more than a dozen points two years ago.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of defiance

Noun

Whether writing five decades ago or today, the genre’s most insightful commentators have always observed how punk fuses rebelliousness with commodification, capitalism with resistance.

— Kyle Devine, Longreads, 14 July 2026
Marji’s rebelliousness, both admirable and terrifying for those who love her, is her salient characteristic.

— Hillary Chute, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026

Definition of rebelliousness

Noun

From grandmother to grandchild, these three sets of two sisters were powerful characters possessed with passion, willfulness, bravery, and devotion to each other.

— Griffin Dunne, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026
Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.

— David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

Definition of willfulness

Noun

After federal prosecutors and defense attorneys had presented all their evidence Tuesday, Morrow’s attorneys asked Orso to dismiss the three petty charges accusing her of obstruction, disruption and disobedience.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
Another child said he was forced to carry out artillery strikes and beaten for disobedience.

— Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of disobedience

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wayward

waywardness

weak

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“Waywardness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waywardness. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of waywardness

noun

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