wayward

Hard to control

Wayward describes someone or something that resists control or follows an unpredictable, self-willed course.

A wayward child defies authority; a wayward curl won't stay in place.

The word carries a sense of straying from what's expected or proper—not necessarily rebellious, but difficult to guide or govern: Her wayward impulses led her far from the path her parents had planned.

errant

wandering

Traveling with no fixed course

strayingDeparting from course
roamingMoving without fixed purpose
driftingMoving without purpose

meandering · astray · off-course · deviating · lost · aimless · nomadic · rootless · vagabond · adrift

defiant

rebellious

Resisting authority or control

disobedientRefusing to follow orders
insubordinateDefying rightful authority
recalcitrantStubbornly resistant to control

willful · headstrong · obstinate · contrary · uncooperative · noncompliant · resistant · stubborn · intractable · refractory

capricious

unpredictable

Cannot be anticipated

fickleErratically disloyal in affection
whimsicalPlayfully fanciful or erratic
erraticLacking regularity or consistency

mercurial · changeable · impulsive · volatile · inconstant · temperamental · flighty · unstable · moody · fitful

independent

free-spirited

Uninhibited by social expectations

nonconformistRejects prevailing social standards
unconventionalDeparting from standard practice
self-willedStubbornly determined to choose

maverick · individualistic · autonomous · unrestrained · unfettered · unconstrained · freethinking · self-directed · ungovernable · untamed

wayward

wandering

rebellious

unpredictable

free-spirited

wayward

Opposites

Categories

Family