libertine

American  

[lib-er-teen, -tin] / ˈlɪb ərˌtin, -tɪn /

noun

1. a person who is morally or sexually unrestrained, especially a dissolute man; a profligate; rake.

   Synonyms:

   sensualist, lecher, debauchee, roué

   Antonyms:

   prude

2. a freethinker in religious matters.

3. a person freed from slavery in ancient Rome.

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adjective

1. free of moral, especially sexual, restraint; dissolute; licentious.

   Synonyms:

   lewd, lascivious, sensual, amoral

2. freethinking in religious matters.

3. Archaic. unrestrained; uncontrolled.

libertine British  

/ ˈlɪbəˌtiːn, -ˌtaɪn /

noun

1. a morally dissolute person

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adjective

1. morally dissolute

Other Word Forms

• libertinage noun

Etymology

Origin of libertine

1350–1400; Middle English libertyn < Latin lībertīnus of a freedman (adj.), freedman (noun), equivalent to lībert ( us ) freedman (apparently by reanalysis of liber-tās liberty as libert-ās ) + -īnus -ine ¹

Example Sentences

That he somehow got two wealthy libertines to do his dirty work for him is a true testament to the power of his vision.

From Salon

This man has been idolized as a libertine — his mission is “Viva la libertà” — but his own freedom, not the freedom of other people.

From New York Times

In 2004, Mr. Ziegler’s “Man of Letters” chronicled maverick British publisher Rupert Hart-Davis, who edited the first edition of the collected letters of Oscar Wilde that shed new light on the libertine writer.

From Washington Post

They are the fictional forbears of Anna Delvey and every other libertine upper-class grifter one can conceive of.

From Salon

They also tend to have extravagant, libertine tastes in fashion and entertainment, the pleasures we fantasize about and forgo when budgets are strained.

From Salon