wayward

adjective

way·​ward ˈwā-wərd 

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

Synonyms

• balky
• contrary
• contumacious
• defiant
• disobedient
• froward
• incompliant
• insubordinate
• intractable
• obstreperous
• rebel
• rebellious
• recalcitrant
• recusant
• refractory
• restive
• ungovernable
• unruly
• untoward
• willful
• wilful

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

The wayward cats would have to be left behind. Before getting in the car, Heidi had flung open the front door, hoping the lost cats would find their way out. —Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 17 Jan. 2025

Then, as Blue Origin got deeper into the countdown, a wayward boat strayed into the keep-out zone around the launch site. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 16 Jan. 2025

In 2023, Poland’s defense minister manufactured a scandal to undermine the public’s trust in the military, accusing the armed forces of failing to inform him about a wayward Russian cruise missile that had landed in Polish territory. —Ronald R. Krebs, Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025

The magnetic field stamps out the flickers by pushing any wayward pairs to align with the overall gyre. —Charlie Wood, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2025

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

Kids Definition

wayward

adjective

way·​ward ˈwā-wərd 

1

: tending to do as one pleases : disobedient

wayward children

2

: not following a rule or regular course of action

waywardly adverb

waywardness noun