Wayward

//ˈweɪwə(ɹ)d// adj

adj ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray.

    "He is a brilliant fellow when he chooses to work—one of the brightest intellects of the University, but he is wayward, dissipated, and unprincipled."

  2. 2
    Obstinate, contrary and unpredictable.
  3. 3
    Not on target.

    "Bulgaria's only attacking weapon was the wayward shooting of Martin Petrov, whereas England's attacking options were awash with movement in the shape of Rooney, Young and Walcott."

Adjective
  1. 1
    resistant to guidance or discipline wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
perversewillfuladamantadamicadriftafloat

Example

More examples

"The father had trouble communicating with his wayward son."

Etymology

Shortening of away + -ward.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.