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

We’ve been told that Juliette is a once-in-a-generation leader, capable of pushing a rebellion further than it’s ever gone before.

— Noel Murray, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
So using a Mexican bean in a staple of Italian home cooking was surprising, almost like an act of rebellion.

— Margy Rochlin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of rebellion

Noun

The duo's defiance paved the way for a resolution to condemn socialism, a key election-year messaging bill for the GOP that drew glaring defections among Democrats, many of whom were incensed at the turn of events.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026
Scott is himself a celebrated London Hamlet, here playing a man whose Hamlet was his last act of defiance.

— Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 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

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
Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.

— Brad Shoup, Pitchfork, 24 Jan. 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 9 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of waywardness

noun

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