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

The dissolute, debauched Lucius might have proved a challenge for Marcus in the long run, but illness carried him off after eight years in power.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

“I drove my Packard around, looking for signs of the old, decrepit, dissolute Los Angeles, and I found it in spades. I had lots of adventures.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2025

But the show gets some mileage out of it, including a guest spot by James Van Der Beek, Dawson himself, as a dissolute older member.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2025

He is a world-weary, somewhat dissolute avatar of colonial power — “a representative of the state” in his own assessment, which sounds both humble and boastful — going to seed in a tropical paradise.

From New York Times • Feb. 16, 2023

The dazzle of this fictive childhood—full of swimming pools and orange groves and dissolute, charming show-biz parents—has all but eclipsed the drab original.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt