wanton

verb

wantoned; wantoning; wantons

intransitive verb

: to be wanton or act wantonly (see wanton entry 1)

transitive verb

: to pass or waste wantonly or in wantonness

wantoner noun

Examples of wanton in a Sentence

It might well be, said Mrs McNab, wantoning on with her memories; they had friends in eastern countries; gentlemen staying there, ladies in evening dress; she had seen them once through the dining-room door all sitting at dinner. —Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse, 1927

… for Nature here / Wantoned as in her prime and played at will / Her virgin fancies, pouring forth more sweet, Wild above rule or art, enormous bliss. —John Milton, Paradise Lost, 1667

Recent Examples on the Web

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

This is not wanton destruction, or some kind of religious war on the world. —Mishal Husain, Bloomberg, 13 Mar. 2026

Armond Langford, 32, is facing multiple charges including robbery, kidnapping, assault, wanton endangerment, fleeing/evading police, burglary and persistent felony offender. —Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Mar. 2026

Morena Baccarin is splendidly sassy as Jonny’s love interest and Stephen Root plays the exasperated cop trying to deal with the bros’ wanton property destruction. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 28 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

derivative of wanton entry 1

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for wanton

• ponton
• intermontane

Kids Definition

wanton

adjective

wan·​ton

ˈwȯnt-ᵊn, 

ˈwänt-

1

: indecent, lewd

2

a

: merciless, inhumane

wanton cruelty

b

: being without just cause : malicious

a wanton attack

3

: unrestrained sense 1, extravagant

a life of wanton luxury

wantonly adverb

wantonness

-ᵊn-nəs

noun

Legal Definition

wanton

adjective

wan·​ton ˈwänt-ᵊn, ˈwȯnt- 

: manifesting extreme indifference to a risk of injury to another that is known or should have been known : characterized by knowledge of and utter disregard for probability of resulting harm

a wanton act

by such wanton or willful misconduct

see also reckless

Note: Wanton, reckless, and willful are often used to refer to an aggravated level of negligence that borders on intent and that is often ground for an award of punitive damages.

wantonly adverb

wantonness noun