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
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
In Claude—a wayward young man whom everyone nonetheless finds promising—Louise sees a vessel for her remaining idealism.
—
Brandy Jensen, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2026
Last month, two wayward machines crashed into bus shelters on the North Side.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Luckily, there's an alternative to hoping a wayward pollinator makes its way into your home.
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2026
Taken away The scoring change was on the groundball Machado hit to San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman in Wednesday’s first inning that ended up scoring Jackson Merrill after first baseman Casey Schmitt failed to catch Chapman’s wayward throw.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wayward
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brandy Jensen, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2026
Last month, two wayward machines crashed into bus shelters on the North Side.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Luckily, there's an alternative to hoping a wayward pollinator makes its way into your home.
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2026
Taken away The scoring change was on the groundball Machado hit to San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman in Wednesday’s first inning that ended up scoring Jackson Merrill after first baseman Casey Schmitt failed to catch Chapman’s wayward throw.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wayward
Cite this Entry
“Wayward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wayward. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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
