wanton 1 of 2

adjective

ˈwȯn-tᵊn 
Definition of wanton
1
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society that novel was once regarded as a wanton tale of forbidden love

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in passionate
having a strong sexual desire in earlier times, novelists usually portrayed wanton women as coming to a bad end

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cruel
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others a wanton attack on unarmed civilians

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

wanton

2 of 2

noun

as in flirt
a person who playfully shows another amorous attention quite the wanton when he wants to be

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wanton
Adjective
Anna Bencosme, 28, was booked into jail on charges of strangulation, endangering the welfare of a minor, and wanton endangerment on Tuesday, April 28, online records show. — Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026 Maison Des Champs, 26, was sentenced Monday to a 364-day jail term, with all but 45 days suspended, and one year of probation after pleading guilty to a gross misdemeanor charge of acting with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of people or property, according to court records. — Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
Additional charges included negligently driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, endangering property, life, and person, as well as recklessly driving a vehicle in wanton and willful disregard for the safety of persons and property. — Diane J. Cho, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026 His characters enjoy casual conversation but don’t brook wanton confession. — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wanton
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wanton
  1. obscene
  2. passionate
  3. cruel
  4. flirt
  5. vulgar
  6. hot
  7. brutal
  8. pornographic
Adjective
  • The Tarrant County decorum policy prohibits personal attacks, impertinent, profane, obscene, or slanderous remarks as well as threatening, disruptive or unruly behavior.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Starks said the obscene gesture was meant as a joke to teammates.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of obscene
Adjective
  • My parents were largely self-educated after high school, and both were passionate readers.
    — Geoffrey O’Brien, The New York Review of Books, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Everton is the constant, but nonetheless passionate, underdog.
    — Hannah Vanbiber, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of passionate
Adjective
  • Success can feel like a cruel tease, fleetingly unattainable and yet when finally achieved, too dangerous to enjoy too long.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • If Russia behaved badly, that was the fault of its primitive and cruel Asian side, a notion that conveniently created the fiction that Western countries are not capable of similar cruelty.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of cruel
Noun
  • One of the most charming performances in a show that has many of them comes from Bo Bragason as Oona, a bubbly lesbian flirt whose mom has jetted off to India, leaving her in charge of her little sister (Mabel Strachan) and their houseboat.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 4 Aug. 2026
  • This is a strong day to pitch, perform, flirt, draft, or share something that feels alive.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 July 2026
Definition of flirt
Adjective
  • But the school’s dress code prohibits messages that are lewd, indecent, vulgar or profane.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Lonnie is loud, obnoxious, and vulgar in ways that rankle traditional golfers.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 July 2026
Definition of vulgar
Adjective
  • As seen above, even a hot pink top welcomes a playful edge to a classic plaid midi-skirt and chunky boots.
    — India Roby, Glamour, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In May, officials in Kern County alone also reported a 42% loss in cherry production this year due to a hot stretch in March followed by April rain accounting for a total loss of more than $13 million for growers.
    — Jonathan Destler, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of hot
Adjective
  • The Braves have Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy atop their catching depth chart, but a brutal injury setback involving veteran backstop Sandy Leon has now forced the organization to seek out another experienced option.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Micron, as well as South Korea's SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics — the world's three major DRAM producers — had competed largely on price, contributing to the brutal boom-and-bust cycles that have long characterized the industry.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of brutal
Adjective
  • The employees also sent pornographic magazines with David Steiner’s name to a neighbor’s home and planned to install a GPS device on the couple’s car.
    — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
  • In 2014, Andrew Tate began his pornographic webcamming empire, recruiting women by dating and plying them with gifts.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 22 July 2026
Definition of pornographic

Browse Nearby Words

wanting
wanton
wantonly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wanton.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wanton. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All