wayward — difficult to control or predict because of unusual or perverse behavior
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: difficult to control or predict because of unusual or perverse behavior
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈweɪwərd/
Example Sentences
- My wayward cat always sleeps in the sink instead of its expensive bed.
- The wayward shopping cart rolled into the parking lot all by itself.
- Her wayward hair refused to stay in place despite using half a bottle of hairspray.
wayward
ADJECTIVE[/ˈweɪwərd/]
difficult to control or predict because of unusual or perverse behavior
While the rest of the class walked perfectly in line, the wayward child stubbornly marched in the complete opposite direction.
WAY(path) + WARD(hospital room) — escaping the safe hospital WARD to walk his own dangerous WAY, the patient proved to be completely wayward.
Instead of rolling straight forward, the broken shopping cart wheel took a completely wayward path into the soup display.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Middle English 'awayward', combining 'away' (from Old English 'aweg') with the suffix '-ward' (meaning direction or tendency). The term originally meant 'turned away' or 'headed in the wrong direction', gradually acquiring the sense of being difficult to control or unpredictably contrary.
Breakdown
away (Old English 'aweg', meaning off/aside) + -ward (suffix indicating direction or tendency) = wayward (turned away, difficult to control)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My wayward cat always sleeps in the sink instead of its expensive bed.”
“The wayward shopping cart rolled into the parking lot all by itself.”
“Her wayward hair refused to stay in place despite using half a bottle of hairspray.”
“The company's wayward spending habits led to financial troubles.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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