dissolute
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing dissolute
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Grade 12, List 6
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Minutes later, these new friends cross the threshold into George and Martha’s dissolute tempest.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
For the Four Seasons, “The White Lotus” has been an undeniably powerful marketing tool — despite the death and dissolute behavior that goes on at the resorts in the series.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2025
“People wanted to move up to guitar. I don’t know why. I guess Johnny Thunders was cooler,” he adds of the famously dissolute New York Dolls member.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2024
Born in Burgundy in 1873, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette married at the age of 20 and moved to Paris with her husband, the dissolute, publicity-hungry writer and publisher known as “Willy.”
From New York Times • Feb. 6, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
