wayward
- adjective
- /ˈweɪwərd/
- We are working to reunite a desperate family with their wayward loved one.
- a wayward son
God hides himself in pain and strange wayward afternoons in Tennessee.
- God hides himself in pain and strange wayward afternoons in Tennessee.
- And so I became a bit wayward and my mum knew that she wasn't stupid.
- The writer's response to the man of action, the moralists response to the wayward warrior.
- I would have said Jupiter, that Jupiter has all, all the, the, the good gravity out there to to bat wayward comets and asteroids out of harm's way.
- Now I lost sight of it in an interesting sort of way, or I went about it in a wayward path.
- But you know, you discovered the what you the wayward things, girls.
- But I would say if you're going into it for the fantasy element, it's not there at all, I would say, but wayward.
Examples
-
Hugh Benny has reformed his wayward life and become a born-again good citizen.
-
Here the Maya artist seems to draw attention to the woman's wayward behavior, perhaps as a moral commentary.
Academic text (2009) -
No longer would the king allow his wayward daughter to ride out alone.
-
Show the wayward girl a sign.
-
It's the fault of your wayward sister, as usual.
-
What has that wayward boy of mine gotten himself into now?
-
Humphrey considered himself something of a wayward scholar to the end of his life.
Academic text (1992) -
Aubrey gasped as he gathered his wayward daughter into his arms and squeezed her tightly.
Fiction book (1992) -
The teacher struggled to manage the behavior of her wayward students during class.
-
His wayward attitude often led him into trouble with the law.
Synonyms
Refusing to do what is right or expected on purpose
Refusing to change your opinion or behavior even when others try to persuade you
Deliberately refusing to do what others want
Moving away from the expected path, like a ball or breeze
Antonyms
How Rebellious
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Wayward comes from way ('a path') and the ending -ward ('toward' or 'turning'). So a wayward person 'turns off the path' or goes their own way, which is why they can be hard to control or predict.