1
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
had always been the most wayward of their three children
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
-
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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But four months after becoming the first Republican in two decades to win the popular vote, Trump faces a new reality of needing to tackle some of the most stubborn challenges awaiting any new president and deliver on his campaign promises to lower prices.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The attacks started this week after reports emerged that Assad loyalists had ambushed and killed members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – the rebel group that spearheaded the rebellion that ousted the former Syrian leader.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN,
9 Mar. 2025
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The singer and the songwriter traversed the frontlines of the urban guerrilla war that had consumed the city of Homs by that point, with one half of the city overtaken by regime soldiers and the other half controlled by rebel groups.—
Jawad Rizkallah,
NPR,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
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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But Mayhem is about using music as archeology to excavate unruly parts of one’s own identity.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2025
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The eight-episode Season 1 of The Franchise followed the crew of an unloved franchise movie fighting for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 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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Joking was her version of uncontrollable tears, but Dr. Fenton neither laughed nor pressed to see what was behind Lilian’s inane laughter.—
Yiyun Li,
The New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2025
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Separating benefits from employee health also allows businesses to escape uncontrollable, often double-digit, group plan renewals.—
Jack Hooper,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Part of this containment strategy is to stop Chinese company transshipments through Canada and Mexico from engaging in willful U.S. tariff evasion.—
Jason Schenker,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
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Beyond market returns: Time and consistency are essential Given the willful chaos and uncertainty being generated by the Trump administration, there is no telling what the markets and the US economy will do in the foreseeable future.—
Jeanne Sahadi,
CNN,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wayward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wayward. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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