libertine

noun

lib·​er·​tine ˈli-bər-ˌtēn 

1

disparaging : a freethinker especially in religious matters

2

: a person who is unrestrained by convention or morality

specifically : one leading a dissolute life

libertines indulging a variety of amorous impulses

—Mel White

libertine adjective

Did you know?

"I only ask to be free," says Mr. Skimpole in Charles Dickens' Bleak House, and his words would undoubtedly have appealed to the world's first libertines. The word libertinus was used in early writings of Roman antiquity to describe a slave who had been set free (the Roman term for an emancipated slave was the Latin libertus). The "freedman" sense of libertine was extended to freethinkers, both religious and secular, and later came to imply that an individual was a little too unrestrained, especially in moral situations. The Latin root of libertine is liber, the ultimate source of our word liberty.

Synonyms

• pervert
• degenerate

Examples of libertine in a Sentence

libertines of the royal court

the legend of Don Juan depicts him as a playboy and libertine

Recent Examples on the Web

The libertines will begin the film in suits. —David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English libertyn freedman, from Latin libertinus, from libertinus, adjective, of a freedman, from libertus freedman, from liber — see liberal entry 1

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for libertine

• acrolein
• adenine
• alkylene
• aniline
• anthracene
• aquiline
• asphaltene
• atlantean
• atrazine
• butadiene
• butylene
• caesarean

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Kids Definition

libertine

noun

lib·​er·​tine ˈlib-ər-ˌtēn 

: a person who leads an immoral life

libertine adjective