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

The slightly buffoonish libertine and eldest son of billionaire magnate Logan Roy, Connor has sidestepped the battle for power that animates his three younger half-siblings.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2023

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 • Apr. 29, 2023

As a young man, the real Cyrano was taught by the idiosyncratic polymath Pierre Gassendi and mixed in free-thinking "libertine" circles.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2022

While Mr. O’Rourke cultivated a persona as a hot-tempered libertine, “he was a deeply kind and generous man who pretended to be a curmudgeon for public consumption,” “Wait Wait” host Peter Sagal wrote on Twitter.

From Washington Post • Feb. 16, 2022

The transition from libertine to prig was so complete.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald