wayward
Americanadjective
-
turned or turning away from what is right or proper; willful; disobedient.
a wayward son; wayward behavior.
- Synonyms:
- intractable, refractory, unruly, obstinate, stubborn, headstrong, contrary
-
swayed or prompted by caprice; capricious.
a wayward impulse; to be wayward in one's affections.
-
turning or changing irregularly; irregular.
a wayward breeze.
- Synonyms:
- changeable, inconstant, unsteady
adjective
-
wanting to have one's own way regardless of the wishes or good of others
-
capricious, erratic, or unpredictable
Related Words
See willful.
Other Word Forms
- unwayward adjective
- waywardly adverb
- waywardness noun
Etymology
Origin of wayward
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; aphetic variant of awayward. See away, -ward
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The identity of her father is unknown, but she aches for her mother who, as a wayward teenager, quickly handed off newborn Annie to her grandmother before disappearing from their lives.
In recent months, the King has been treading a balancing act in dealing with his wayward brother.
From BBC
Dotting the shoreline is a bleak expanse of detritus: timeworn pumps, tottering derricks, wayward cranes and aging pipelines.
From Los Angeles Times
Could it be used for more than just a wayward puppy?
Archer, who also struggled against Nepal on Sunday, was wayward with his lines.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
