How to Use wayward in a Sentence

wayward

adjective
Definition of waywardnext
Synonyms for waywardnext
  • To be sure, the problem of wayward shopping carts is not new.
    — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 21 Jan. 2023
  • But be warned: Br’er Bear and Br’er Fox are in hot pursuit of this wayward hare.
    — Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 2 Dec. 2022
  • Costanza, marred by the wayward drive, tapped in for par, while Hagestad two-putted from the fringe for birdie and the win.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 1 Oct. 2021
  • The first was a guy with his mask hanging from his chin like a wayward bandage.
    — Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2021
  • The water should be on and the hose should be ready to instantly douse any wayward fires.
    — Rebekah L. Sanders, The Arizona Republic, 2 July 2022
  • The water should be on, and the hose should be ready to instantly douse any wayward fires.
    — Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 5 July 2023
  • Lord Curzon had been a wayward pupil at Eton, but through hard work ...
    — Andrew Roberts, National Review, 13 July 2023
  • The Heat’s best chance from there was what proved to be a wayward Strus 3-point attempt with 26 seconds left.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2022
  • Just make sure nobody steps on a wayward ruffle on the dance floor!
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 27 June 2024
  • The wayward reporters gave A&M way too much credit on that front.
    — Brent Zwerneman, San Antonio Express-News, 17 July 2022
  • But what if there were a fast and efficient way to pick up those wayward small pieces?
    — Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 9 Jan. 2024
  • Around that time, the ship’s pilots called for tugboats to come help guide the wayward vessel.
    — Lea Skene, Fortune, 15 May 2024
  • Sure, there were the local drunks, the teenage hooligans who tortured stray cats, but even these wayward bees had a place in the hive.
    — Alexander Nazaryan, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024
  • As things stand, that is a wayward proposition, and there is no need for a new law to reform it.
    — Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 6 Feb. 2024
  • And no, the moment wasn’t lost on the once wayward coach who scored the biggest win of his career in the stadium that saved it.
    — Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 9 Sep. 2023
  • The wayward son of a newspaper owner, Arthur went to France as a young man and never came back.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2021
  • In many team sports, one player can’t reroute a wayward franchise.
    — Tania Ganguli, New York Times, 15 May 2023
  • Art adjusts his beanie in the mirror, blond hair poking out like the fingers of a wayward plant.
    — Seija Rankin, EW.com, 25 Aug. 2021
  • Please be aware that the wayward golf ball had gotten over a tall netting that was surrounding the golf course.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2021
  • 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
  • At the same time, the child might veer into the street just after the self-driving car has passed by, and the car behind the self-driving car might strike the wayward child.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2021
  • Then, a wayward moment off the tee left him with double bogey on the second hole to drop to 1 under.
    — Adam Smith, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2022
  • Matho ends up at an auntie’s house, where a group of other wayward teens are staying.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2023
  • The new season of often wayward drama doesn’t just treat many of the people onscreen as NPCs.
    — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 24 June 2022
  • The town, having endured a major oil bust, was at last ready to embrace its wayward son.
    — Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023
  • Initially, the Navy tried to scare its wayward flamingo away from a salt marsh between two airstrips.
    — Michael Adno, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2023
  • The island, now a full-on playground for the rich and richer, is not where most mothers would like their wayward daughters to turn up.
    — Lisa Levy, Washington Post, 26 May 2023
  • The top was paired with a tiny black vest and pants with wide, flapping flares, giving him the look of an earl’s wayward son stumbling out of a brothel at dawn.
    — Piczo, The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2021
  • Gone were the wayward pondering looks, replaced with jerky over-the-shoulder glances.
    — Nicolaia Rips, The New Yorker, 21 June 2024
  • That means the piers are farther from any potentially wayward vessel.
    — Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 11 July 2024

Some of 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.

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