wantonly

[ won-tn-lee ]

/ ˈwɒn tn li /

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adverb

willfully and thoughtlessly; recklessly: We wantonly destroy the ecosystem that gives us life when we take out more than it can afford to give.

without regard for what is right, just, or humane; maliciously and unjustifiably: Those who wantonly and cruelly beat, abuse, or ill-treat these animals will be punished.

in a sensually loose or unrestrained way: A single day lived virtuously is worth more than a hundred years lived wantonly and without discipline.

in an extravagant or excessively luxurious way: Nations cannot continue to spend wantonly, hoping for a bailout that may not come.

in a prolific or uncontrolled way: A swarm of Asian carp are advancing up the Illinois River, breeding wantonly and gorging on plankton.

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Origin of wantonly

wanton + -ly

Words nearby wantonly

want in, wanting, want knap, want list, wanton, wantonly, Wanxian, wany, wap, wapatoo, wapentake

How to use wantonly in a sentence

If Brett Hankison’s behavior was wanton endangerment to people in neighboring apartments, then it should have been wanton endangerment in Breonna Taylor’s apartment too.
Protesters hit the streets for a second night after officers aren’t charged with killing Breonna Taylor|Fabiola Cineas|September 25, 2020|Vox
Now his people were wantonly punished for resisting the expulsion; for seeking to reverse it.
Old Problems and New Realities|Ahmed Moor|November 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It was not to be a love-letter; simply an appeal for forgiveness to a friend whom she had wantonly injured.
A Forest Hearth: A Romance of Indiana in the Thirties|Charles Major
I see cavaliers, sworn defenders of Holy Church; your hands are red with Christian blood wantonly shed.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis

First silence your own dark soul—silence reproach for blood spilled wantonly, for tears your deeds have made to flow.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
The "shedu" was a destructive bull which might slay man wantonly or as a protector of temples.
Myths of Babylonia and Assyria|Donald A. Mackenzie
I once asked an old Omaha what was the feeling of Indians when they saw the white men wantonly killing buffaloes.
Prairie Smoke (Second Edition, Revised)|Melvin Randolph Gilmore

wantonly

Origin of wantonly

Words nearby wantonly

Words related to wantonly

How to use wantonly in a sentence