1
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
had always been the most wayward of their three children
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stubborn
given to resisting control or discipline by others
an institution to which wayward teens were often sent
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Recent Examples of wayward
For years, European leaders have fretted about reducing their dependence on a wayward United States.
—
Mark Landler, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
The shorts, led by some wayward sell-side analysts, didn’t realize that Noto is turning this into one of the sainted fintechs out there, like a Block (formerly Square) or a PayPal or an Affirm .
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2025
An unruly pack of wayward youths got a hard lesson in humility, courtesy of a police program that introduced them to a pair of tough-talking convicts played by Kenan Thompson and Eddie Murphy.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 16 Feb. 2025
The new film follows the young Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierre) after an accidental separation from his parents, when a spirited cub named Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) saves the wayward lion’s life.
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wayward
Mark Landler, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
The shorts, led by some wayward sell-side analysts, didn’t realize that Noto is turning this into one of the sainted fintechs out there, like a Block (formerly Square) or a PayPal or an Affirm .
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2025
An unruly pack of wayward youths got a hard lesson in humility, courtesy of a police program that introduced them to a pair of tough-talking convicts played by Kenan Thompson and Eddie Murphy.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 16 Feb. 2025
The new film follows the young Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierre) after an accidental separation from his parents, when a spirited cub named Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) saves the wayward lion’s life.
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wayward
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wayward
Adjective
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In addition, parents who are too strict might even end up with kids who are extra rebellious.—
Taylor Grothe,
Parents,
26 Feb. 2025
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Boon will play Eddie Harrigan, Kevin’s rebellious son.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Another type of hyperpigmentation that kojic acid can help with is melasma—a stubborn and hard-to-treat skin condition characterized by splotchy, brown or grayish patches.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
4 Mar. 2025
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Like this Fire sign, Drizella is unapologetically stubborn and impatience, believing she is entitled to nothing but the best.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The rebel group’s capture of swathes of the east and valuable mineral deposits has fanned fears of a wider war.—
Reuters,
CNN,
24 Feb. 2025
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When militants led by the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham reached Damascus last December, the capital fell without a fight.—
Marwan Muasher,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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President Donald Trump took a defiant victory lap in the House chamber on Tuesday night, using his address to a joint session of Congress to promote the flurry of drastic changes to domestic and foreign policy that his administration has made in just the first six weeks.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2025
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Trump, in a defiant victory lap speech lasting roughly 100 minutes, credited his predecessor for high inflation and vowed to bring down the costs of everyday goods while previewing further economic pain from new tariffs.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Top Five Cryptocurrency Exchanges By Saul Hudson Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member opinion 0 Crypto's spectacle is once again loud and unruly.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
25 Feb. 2025
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This includes making a claim through their Partner Liability Insurance program, or reporting guests' unruly behavior using their guest misconduct tool.—
Natalia Senanayake,
People.com,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Or does so only briefly in the ambiguous ending, when Sofia throws off the last vestiges of her passivity and forces her recalcitrant mother into a reckoning with her condition.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
14 Feb. 2025
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In an interview from a factory floor in El Salvador on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that foreign aid spending does not support U.S. aims and that USAID, the main conduit for foreign assistance, has been recalcitrant.—
ByCatherine Offord,
science.org,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The most dramatic case study occurred this week, when Trump signed two executive orders instituting a tariff regime on goods entering the United States from Canada and Mexico in response to what the White House argues is an uncontrollable scourge of migrants and drugs coming from those countries.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2025
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These high winds, combined with low humidity, have created a significant fire weather risk, with forecasters warning that any ignition could lead to fast-growing, uncontrollable fires.—
Hannah Parry,
Newsweek,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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On March 19, 2024, Huger was charged with a DUI and DWI on the counts of: negligently driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, endangering property, life, and person, as well as recklessly driving a vehicle in wanton and willful disregard for the safety of persons and property.—
Gabriela Silva,
TVLine,
26 Feb. 2025
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These misguided concerns are due to a willful ignorance of how and why the city is proposing to structure the payments.—
Pat Dowell,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wayward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wayward. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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