wayward.

Departing from what is expected or desired in an independent, erratic way.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• wayward child
• wayward course

On the page

The river followed a wayward course through the marsh.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Comparative more wayward; superlative most wayward when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common.