dissolute

[ dis-uh-loot ]

See synonyms for: dissolute dissoluteness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

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

Other words for dissolute

corrupt, loose, debauched; wanton, abandoned

See synonyms for dissolute on Thesaurus.com

Other words from dissolute

dis·so·lute·ly, adverb
dis·so·lute·ness, noun
un·dis·so·lute, adjective

Words that may be confused with dissolute

desolate, dissolute

Words Nearby dissolute

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dissolute in a sentence

There have been lots of dissolute owners with doormat teams.
The NFL is paying the price for underestimating its Daniel Snyder problem | Sally Jenkins | October 29, 2021 | Washington Post
On his execution, state media accused Jang of leading a "dissolute, depraved life" and running up £6.4 million in gambling debts.
The Women Behind the Throne in North Korea's 'Empire of Horror' | The Telegraph | December 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
He was the more dissolute, the heavier drinker, and lesser writer, very much the junior partner in an ostentatious double act.
How Will Hitchens Be Remembered? | Jason Cowley | December 16, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
Even if they do not manage to take and hold power, they are examples of the dissolute lives that sons of dictators often lead.
Dictators' Sons, From Egypt to Libya, Are Doomed | Stephen Kinzer | February 9, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
He caused his mother sorrow, by a dissolute life and by forcible inroads on the maternal purse.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe

Another notices that had she been dissolute, she would have preferred the liberty of remaining a widow.
Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred Downer
A true daughter of an artist, of a genial and dissolute artist, thoroughly in the romantic tradition, as was Sebastien Ruys.
The Nabob | Alphonse Daudet
How would the young and dissolute monarch look upon the claims of Rhode Island?
A short history of Rhode Island | George Washington Greene
He had seized upon the government and gained over a vast number of the most dissolute and discontented spirits to his side.
The Devil-Tree of El Dorado | Frank Aubrey

British Dictionary definitions for dissolute

dissolute

/ (ˈdɪsəˌluːt) /

adjective

given to dissipation; debauched

Origin of dissolute

C14: from Latin dissolūtus loose, from dissolvere to dissolve

Derived forms of dissolute

dissolutely, adverb
dissoluteness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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