dissolute

American  

[dis-uh-loot] / ˈdɪs əˌlut /

adjective

1. indifferent to moral restraints; given to immoral or improper conduct; licentious; dissipated.

   Synonyms:

   abandoned, wanton, debauched, loose, corrupt

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dissolute British  

/ ˈdɪsəˌluːt /

adjective

1. given to dissipation; debauched

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Other Word Forms

• dissolutely
  adverb
• dissoluteness
  noun
• undissolute
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of dissolute

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (from Anglo-French ), from Latin dissolūtus (past participle of dissolvere “to dissolve”); see dis- ¹, solute

Explanation

The adjective dissolute means unrestrained. If you're a dissolute person, you engage in the kinds of behaviors that cause disapproval. If your mother tells you you're dissolute, she's not trying to be kind. Some kinds of unrestrained behavior are good, like if you're unrestrained by fear, and do something very brave. But someone who is dissolute not only goes against the grain of normal behavior, but is wasteful and offensive — over the limit. If you drop out of school, party all the time, and waste your life, you've chosen a dissolute lifestyle.

Example Sentences

Dissolute men pine for wives who have ditched them, and dissolute women carp at no-good boyfriends.

From New York Times • May 30, 2017

Dissolute, cruel, and avaricious Messalina certainly was, but mad she was not.

From The Women of the Caesars by Ferrero, Guglielmo

Dinner was announced, and Raby placed the Dissolute between his sister and the magnificent Beauty dead Sir Richard had developed.

From Put Yourself in His Place by Reade, Charles

Dissolute, treacherous, and inhuman as he was, the tyrant of Rimini had always encouraged literature, and delighted in the society of artists.

From Sketches and Studies in Italy and Greece, Second Series by Brown, Horatio Robert Forbes

Dissolute, damned and despairful, crippled and palsied and slain, This is the Will of the Yukon, — Lo, how she makes it plain!

From The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses by Service, Robert W. (Robert William)