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
Nearly three weeks since Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed under the impact of a wayward cargo ship, crews are using the largest crane on the Eastern Seaboard to haul the wreckage to a nearby salvage yard.
—
Lea Skene, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
Because cities get swamped with complaints about wayward facilities (which are usually six-bed operations in tract homes in residential neighborhoods, which is a weird place to provide life-or-death health care), but can do precious little about it.
—Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 14 Apr. 2024
With the proliferation of low-cost LED bulbs, cities across the United States are approving or updating ordinances to control wayward rays.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Margaret, it is hoped, will be able to connect to the wayward generation currently protesting in the streets.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Scott, at his most creepy and conniving, plays Tom Ripley, a low-rent con artist in New York in the 1960s who gets the opportunity of a lifetime when a rich shipping magnate employs him to convince the man's wayward heir to come home and stop gallivanting across Italy.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Those qualities somewhat eclipse the central question of the wayward young granddaughter, which primarily serves as an excuse to watch Sugar work – sifting through sleazy, Hollywood-style dirty laundry – without really needing to drive the narrative.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
On either side, shifting sandbars waited to chew up and spit out wayward traders, nationality be damned.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Morrison has instituted healthier pruning practices and spread wood chips near the trees to protect them from wayward maintenance workers.
—Harry Stevens, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Lea Skene, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
Because cities get swamped with complaints about wayward facilities (which are usually six-bed operations in tract homes in residential neighborhoods, which is a weird place to provide life-or-death health care), but can do precious little about it.
—Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 14 Apr. 2024
With the proliferation of low-cost LED bulbs, cities across the United States are approving or updating ordinances to control wayward rays.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Margaret, it is hoped, will be able to connect to the wayward generation currently protesting in the streets.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Scott, at his most creepy and conniving, plays Tom Ripley, a low-rent con artist in New York in the 1960s who gets the opportunity of a lifetime when a rich shipping magnate employs him to convince the man's wayward heir to come home and stop gallivanting across Italy.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Those qualities somewhat eclipse the central question of the wayward young granddaughter, which primarily serves as an excuse to watch Sugar work – sifting through sleazy, Hollywood-style dirty laundry – without really needing to drive the narrative.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
On either side, shifting sandbars waited to chew up and spit out wayward traders, nationality be damned.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Morrison has instituted healthier pruning practices and spread wood chips near the trees to protect them from wayward maintenance workers.
—Harry Stevens, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
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 26 Apr. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share