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

Explanation

If you drink a lot, eat a lot, and live a wild and unrestrained life, you might be called a libertine. A libertine is someone who lives life unencumbered by morals. Although it can be used neutrally, often if someone calls you a libertine, they disapprove of your lack of morality. In the 14th century, a libertine was "a freed slave," from the Latin liber, "free." Starting in the mid-1500s, libertine had a religious and political connotation, referring to a group that opposed Calvinism. By the nineteenth century, the word became strongly associated with immorality and debauchery.

Example Sentences

The Kaufman and James recordings sound more like something out of the buttoned-up Gay Nineties than the libertine Roaring ’20s or the Big Band Era.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

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 • Mar. 1, 2023

As a native New Yorker, Lauren would have seen California’s well-manicured image of libertine paradise often.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2022

The autonomous German-speaking province in the Dolomite mountains borders newly locked down Austria and has long harbored a certain libertine sentiment.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 24, 2021

The transition from libertine to prig was so complete.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald