wanton

[ won-tn ]

/ ˈwɒn tn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wanton ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

done, shown, used, etc., maliciously or unjustifiably: a wanton attack; wanton cruelty.

deliberate and without motive or provocation; uncalled-for; headstrong; willful: Why jeopardize your career in such a wanton way?

without regard for what is right, just, humane, etc.; careless; reckless: a wanton attacker of religious convictions.

sexually lawless or unrestrained; loose; lascivious; lewd: wanton behavior.

extravagantly or excessively luxurious, as a person, manner of living, or style.

luxuriant, as vegetation.

Archaic.

sportive or frolicsome, as children or young animals.
having free play: wanton breezes; a wanton brook.

noun

a wanton or lascivious person, especially a woman.

verb (used without object)

to behave in a wanton manner; become wanton.

verb (used with object)

to squander, especially in pleasure (often followed by away): to wanton away one's inheritance.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

wantage, wantagh, wantaway, wanted, wanting, wanton, wantonly, wanxian, wany, wap, wapatoo

Origin of wanton

1250–1300; Middle English wantowen literally, undisciplined, ill-reared, Old English wan- not + togen past participle of tēon to discipline, rear, cognate with German ziehen, Latin dūcere to lead; akin to tow¹

SYNONYMS FOR wanton

1 malicious.

2 calculated.

3 heedless, inconsiderate.

4 licentious, dissolute, immoral, libidinous, concupiscent, lustful.

5 lavish.

10 waste.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wanton ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR wanton

3 careful, considerate.

4, 5 restrained.

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Related formswan·ton·ly, adverbwan·ton·ness, nounun·wan·ton, adjective

Can be confusedwanton won ton

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wanton

Over a decade, his teaching often took place in an atmosphere of what one cadet called “wanton disrespect.”
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor|S. C. Gwynne|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His story is largely devoid of wanton violence and gratuitous sex.
What Would You Do if the World Was Over?|William O’Connor|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lind ruled that evidence that al Qaeda had obtained information via WikiLeaks was also relevant to proving “wanton publication.”
Questions Over Judge’s Rulings But Little Hope for Bradley Manning|Alexa O'Brien|July 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The new movie Pacific Rim has brought robots bursting back into our collective consciousness like wanton property damage.
Terminator, Wall-E & More of the Best Robots in Film (Video)|Victoria Kezra|July 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST

No huge tax cuts for the rich; no repeal of Obamacare; no opposition to same-sex marriage; no wanton unilateralism; and so on.
The Case for Transformation|Michael Tomasky|January 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Men and women could love together seven years, and no wanton lusts were between them, and then was love truth and faithfulness.
The English Novel in the Time of Shakespeare|J. J. Jusserand
Nuptial love maketh mankind; friendly love perfecteth it; but wanton love corrupteth, and embaseth it.
Essays|Francis Bacon
These forays were in some instances accompanied by wanton excesses and needless bloodshed.
The Student's Life of Washington; Condensed from the Larger Work of Washington Irving|Washington Irving
Most persons appear unable to restrain this wanton inclination to take life, when a mustang approaches within rifle-shot.
Early Western Travels 1748-1846, Volume XX|Various
Those men were done to death by wanton carelessness upon the part of men sent out by the British War Office.
Campaign Pictures of the War in South Africa (1899-1900)|A. G. Hales

British Dictionary definitions for wanton

wanton

/ (ˈwɒntən) /

adjective

dissolute, licentious, or immoral

without motive, provocation, or justificationwanton destruction

maliciously and unnecessarily cruel or destructive

unrestrainedwanton spending

archaic, or poetic playful or capricious

archaic (of vegetation, etc) luxuriant or superabundant

noun

a licentious person, esp a woman

a playful or capricious person

verb

(intr) to behave in a wanton manner

(tr) to squander or waste

Derived Formswantonly, adverbwantonness, noun

Word Origin for wanton

C13 wantowen (in the obsolete sense: unmanageable, unruly): from wan- (prefix equivalent to un- 1; related to Old English wanian to wane) + -towen, from Old English togen brought up, from tēon to bring up

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

Word Origin and History for wanton (1 of 3)

wanton

adj.

c.1300, wan-towen, "resistant to control; willful," from Middle English privative prefix wan- "wanting, lacking" (from Old English wan "wanting;" see wane) + togen, past participle of teon "to train, discipline;" literally "to pull, draw," from Proto-Germanic *teuhan (cf. Old High German ziohan "to pull;" see tug). The basic notion perhaps is "ill-bred, poorly brought up;" cf. German ungezogen "ill-bred, rude, haughty," literally "unpulled."

As Flies to wanton Boyes are we to th' Gods, They kill vs for their sport. [Shakespeare, "Lear," 1605]

Especially of sexual indulgence from late 14c. The only English survival of a once-common Germanic negating prefix still active in Dutch (cf. wanbestuur "misgovernment," wanluid "discordant sound"), German (wahn-), etc. Related: Wantonly; wantonness.

Word Origin and History for wanton (1 of 3)

wanton

"one who is ill-behaved," especially (but not originally) "lascivious, lewd person," c.1400, from wanton (adj.).

Word Origin and History for wanton (2 of 3)

wanton

1580s, from wanton (n.). Related: Wantoned; wantoning.