wayward C2 Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈweɪwə(ɹ)d/ See IPA manual Freq #18146 Meanings 1 adj Stubbornly doing as one pleases and refusing to behave properly. His parents struggled for years with their wayward son. 2 adj Hard to control or predict; tending to stray off course. A wayward shot sailed high over the crossbar. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · stubbornly doing as one... perverse More vagabondvagrant Word family Forms waywardness Derived forms waywardlywaywardness Common collocations wayward behavior Adjective + noun Etymology AI details Shortening of away + -ward. Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # wayward **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈweɪwə(ɹ)d/ **Frequency rank:** 18146 ## Meanings 1. Stubbornly doing as one pleases and refusing to behave properly. 2. Hard to control or predict; tending to stray off course. ## Examples - His parents struggled for years with their wayward son. - A wayward shot sailed high over the crossbar. ## Synonyms - vagabond - vagrant ## Derived Forms - waywardly - waywardness ## Etymology Shortening of away + -ward. ## AI Etymology Wayward is a shortening of away + -ward. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. Current senses include stubbornly doing as one pleases and refusing to behave properly and hard to control or predict; tending to stray off course. The wider family includes derived forms such as waywardly and waywardness. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown