The father had trouble communicating with his wayward son.
Source: tatoeba (4027199)
Wayward
//ˈweɪwə(ɹ)d//
Synonyms for "wayward" (224 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (45)
Strong matches (67)
Related words (112)
of loose moralsornerypaphianpeccablepetulantpostlapsarianprodigalpromiscuousquirkyramblingrecalicitrantrecidivistrecidivisticrecusantrestiverestlessrovingscatterbrainedself-willedshapeless
Show 59 more words
shiftingshiftyshufflingslackspasmodicspinelessstuffysulkysullentemperamentaltransgressiveunaccountableunangelicuncertainunchasteuncleanuncomplyinguncontrolledundependableundisciplinedunduteousundutifulunfixedungodlyungoodunpredictableunreasonableunreliableunrestrainedunrighteousunrulyunsaintlyunsettledunstableunstable as waterunstaidunsteadfastunsteadyunvirtuousvacillatingvagariousvagrantvariablevicissitudinaryvicissitudinousviolativevirtuelessvolatilewanderingwantonwaveringwaverywavyweakwhimsicalwhorishwishy washywishy-washywrongheaded
Adjective(32 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
Translations
40 translations across 17 languages.
Bulgarian
4 entries- капризен adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
- непокорен adj (obstinate, contrary and unpredictable)
- опак adj (obstinate, contrary and unpredictable)
- своенравен adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
Dutch
1 entries- eigenzinnig adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
Finnish
4 entries- arvaamaton adj (obstinate, contrary and unpredictable)
- kuriton adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
- niskoitteleva adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
- oikutteleva adj (obstinate, contrary and unpredictable)
German
4 entries- eigensinnig adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
- eigenwillig adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
- eigenwillig adj (obstinate, contrary and unpredictable)
- launisch adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
Greek
1 entries- ιδιότροπος adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
Irish
1 entries- dochomhairleach adj (obstinate, contrary and unpredictable)
Italian
4 entries- contrario adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
- disobbediente adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
- ostinato adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
- ribelle adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
Komi-Permyak
1 entries- аскоддя adj (obstinate, contrary and unpredictable)
Latin
1 entries- inconstans adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
Māori
2 entries- kapa adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
- tīhoihoi adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
Persian
1 entries- خودسر adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
Polish
1 entries- nieobliczalny adj (obstinate, contrary and unpredictable)
Portuguese
1 entries- desobediente adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
Russian
1 entries- своенравный adj (obstinate, contrary and unpredictable)
Slovak
1 entries- zcestný adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
Spanish
3 entries- caprichoso adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
- desobediente adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
- díscolo adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
Swedish
2 entries- egensinnig adj (given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray)
- opålitlig adj (obstinate, contrary and unpredictable)
Sample sentences
10 total sentences available.
The wayward son has returned.
Source: tatoeba (5095968)
Fancies are like shadows . . . you can't cage them, they're such wayward, dancing things.
Source: tatoeba (7917465)
Gradlon, as is so often the case with pious men, had a wayward child, the princess Dahut.
Source: tatoeba (8312284)
Showing 4 of 10 available sentences.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.