ˈwāwə(r)d adjective
Etymology: Middle English wayward, weyward, short for awayward, aweyward turned away, from away, awey, adverb, away + -ward — more at away
1. : characterized by extreme willfulness and by determination to follow one's own capricious, wanton, or depraved inclinations to the point of being ungovernable
the wayward child who persists in wandering away — A.R.Mead
the glamorous sin … associated with what is known as wayward passion — Tomorrow
the wayward power of the emotionally excited masses — Vernon Mallinson
2. : following no clear principle or law : unpredictable , erratic
there was no room in that precision for the eccentricity, the wayward act — Graham Greene
3. : opposite to what is desired or expected : untoward , vexing
wayward fate
Synonyms: see contrary