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
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
Faithfully adapted by Michael Blake from his own bestselling novel, Dances With Wolves depicts the journey of a lone soldier (Costner) assigned to a wayward Western outpost during the Civil War.
—
Aja Romano, Vox, 29 June 2024
On a stormy night in the mountains of Greece, a pair of wayward young people abandon their newborn child.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 June 2024
Just make sure nobody steps on a wayward ruffle on the dance floor!
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 27 June 2024
The wayward cat was reunited with its family later that day, rangers said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for wayward 
Aja Romano, Vox, 29 June 2024
On a stormy night in the mountains of Greece, a pair of wayward young people abandon their newborn child.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 June 2024
Just make sure nobody steps on a wayward ruffle on the dance floor!
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 27 June 2024
The wayward cat was reunited with its family later that day, rangers said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for wayward
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wayward.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near wayward
Cite this Entry
“Wayward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wayward. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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