wanton Hear it!

wanton definition

wan·ton (wänt′'n)

adjective

  1. Obsolete undisciplined; unmanageable a wanton child
    1. sexually loose or unrestrained a wanton woman
    2. Old Poet. frisky; playful; frolicsome
    3. Old Poet. capricious; unrestrained wanton winds
  3. senseless, unprovoked, unjustifiable, or deliberately malicious wanton cruelty, a wanton insult
  4. recklessly or arrogantly ignoring justice, decency, morality, etc. wanton disregard of human rights
    1. Now Rare luxuriant: said of vegetation, etc.
    2. lavish, luxurious, or extravagant: said of speech, dress, etc.

Etymology: ME wantowen, var. of wantogen, wanton, irregular < OE wan-, used as negative prefix < wan, lacking, deficient (see wane) + togen, pp. of teon, to draw, educate, bring up (see tow)

noun

a wanton person or thing; esp., a sexually loose or unrestrained woman

intransitive verb

to be wanton in behavior, action, manner, etc.

transitive verb

to waste carelessly or in luxurious pleasures

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

law wanton definition - legal

wanton Synonyms

wanton

modif.

  1. Unrestrained

    extravagant, capricious, reckless, unreserved, unfettered, free, wayward, fluctuating, changeable, whimsical, fitful, variable, fanciful, inconstant, fickle, frivolous, volatile.

  2. Lewd

    libidinous, lustful, licentious; see lewd 1, 2.

  3. Deliberately malicious

    unprovoked, unfair, merciless, senseless, malicious, unjustifiable, unjust, malevolent.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

wanton Usage Examples

Object

  • destruction: We made it clear that we care about wanton destruction.

Modifies a noun

  • destruction: History does not record the reaction of volatile Simon to the wanton destruction of the roof of his house!

Modifying Another Word

  • not: These attacks, however, are not wanton and are not delivered against the civilian population, although non-combatants are inevitably killed in them.

Used with adjective complement

  • grow: We find that in chapter 5. Certain of them were growing wanton against Christ.
wanton usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

wanton quotes

Success hath made me wanton.

-Jonson, Ben

wanton quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"wanton." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/wanton>

APA Style

wanton. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/wanton

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