wanton 1 of 2

adjective

ˈwȯn-tᵊn How to pronounce wanton (audio)
Definition of wantonnext
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

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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

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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

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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

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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
Under current Kansas law, reckless driving is defined as operating a vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026 Islamist militant groups are waging a campaign of wanton slaughter against Christians in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a new report. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 5 May 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
  • Another bemoaned the amount of money spent on Marsh’s NIL deal, using similar obscene language.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The disingenuous campaign ads, the obscene amount of money that is spent to air them and the promises that are rarely fulfilled are enough to make one cynical.
    — Cal Thomas, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of obscene
Adjective
  • Fans were insanely passionate and regionally focused, and the game reflected that.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Seeing what resonates with consumers and how that translates into numbers is something Fields has long been passionate about.
    — Colleen McKown, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of passionate
Adjective
  • In response to legislation to end the cruelty once and for all, the Daily News once again trotted out its old and tired defense of this cruel, deadly and outdated industry.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Policing cringe is the cruelest métier of the internet—the origin of harassment campaigns and platforming of contempt.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruel
Noun
  • Instead, there are sneakers, T-shirts, and leggings—and dancers who stalk, slouch, flirt, and spring across the stage, propelled by Robert Prince’s rollicking jazz score.
    — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Jolene In Jolene, released in 1974, Parton’s lyrics capture the torment of watching your lover flirt with someone else.
    — Wendy Hargreaves, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of flirt
Adjective
  • Continue reading … SOUR NOTE — Hayley Williams unleashes vulgar insult at DHS after agency defends ICE officers.
    — , FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • This has made some machine translations comically inaccurate, sometimes turning innocuous words into vulgar references in English.
    — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of vulgar
Adjective
  • Credit stress at CoreWeave, concerns over corporate AI spending and another hot inflation report erased more than $1 trillion from 20 of the world's largest AI and semiconductor stocks this week.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Another hot Thursday rumor said that Rice also met recently with NBCUniversal about a post there.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of hot
Adjective
  • Especially for a team that's played a brutal schedule through the first six weeks.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The Broncos get a long weekend off after their brutal six-week opening stretch.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of brutal
Adjective
  • On the day of the $50 million demand, a WeChat chat on one of her phones shows pornographic images arriving and being sent back with Victim-1’s face grafted on, the complaint says.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The filing follows a separate legal battle launched by Meloni in 2024 against a man accused of creating and posting deepfake pornographic images using her likeness.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of pornographic

Browse Nearby Words

wanting
wanton
wantonly
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Cite this Entry

“Wanton.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wanton. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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