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

Palud follows the same aberration when Being Maria tracks Schneider’s descent into heroin addiction, her wayward film career, family turmoil, and bisexuality. —Armond White, National Review, 28 Mar. 2025

To get to the hole on the 141-yard par three, players must avoid the large lake encompassing the green – a watery grave for many a wayward golf shot. —George Ramsay, CNN, 13 Mar. 2025

For 109 years, Florida sent wayward boys from across the state to Dozier — and the series chronicled the men who survived the school and demanded acknowledgment, resolution and reparation. —Yacob Reyes, Axios, 13 Mar. 2025

The battle between parents and wayward children is the archetypal plot of modernization. —Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 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