1. difficult to control or predict; following one’s own desires rather than doing what is expected
2. unpredictable or erratic in behavior or direction

Examples

• The wayward teenager refused to follow his parents’ rules.
• Her wayward hair kept falling into her eyes despite repeated attempts to pin it back.
• The wayward shopping cart rolled across the parking lot in the wind.
• He was known for his wayward behavior in school.
• The wayward river changed course after the flood.
• She tried to discipline her wayward students with little success.