From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwaywardway‧ward /ˈweɪwəd $ -wərd/ adjective BAD BEHAVIOUR OR ACTIONSbehaving badly, in a way that is difficult to control a wayward teenager —waywardness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
wayward• They were both very smart and correct, but Grandad was a little more wayward.• The dashboard sports a gash from wayward bicycle gears.• Aunt Sally left her personal estate of several hundred thousand dollars to a home for wayward Dalmatians.• Leonie felt a momentary pang of compassion for her wayward granddaughter.• The chemistry had been between them from the start, waiting only for a wayward spark to ignite it.• wayward youthOrigin wayward (1300-1400) awayward “turned away” ((13-16 centuries)), from away + -ward 