waywardness

/ˈweɪwərdnəs/

Other forms: waywardnesses

If you're unexpectedly off the beaten path, someone might comment on your waywardness. That path could be an actual hiking trail or the like, but it's usually not a physical path. Waywardness usually describes behavior that's considered unwise.

Waywardness's root originally comes from aweiward, meaning "turned away." Someone prone to waywardness goes the way they want to, not the way they're expected to or the way they've been advised to. You usually use waywardness when this turning away is seen negatively. Being difficult to manage or prone to ignoring advice is usually only waywardness if it leads to bad outcomes, like getting lost, or getting suspended from school.

Definitions of waywardness

1. noun

   the quality of being difficult to guide, control or manage
2. noun

   a state deviating widely from an intended or expected course
3. noun

   the quality of being difficult to predict or rely on