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
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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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wanton
Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 30 July 2025
Human rights organizations have also documented the wanton execution of Alawite civilians by fighters aligned with the government.
—Jerome Drevon, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2025
Liza Esquibias, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Spiker was arrested on charges including wanton endangerment and criminal mischief, WKBO reported.
—Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wanton
Adjective
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday afternoon on behalf of Jennings’ wife Mary Katherine Fountain, accuses East of willful and wanton conduct, battery and consciously causing pain and suffering to Jennings.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 30 July 2025
Human rights organizations have also documented the wanton execution of Alawite civilians by fighters aligned with the government.
—Jerome Drevon, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2025
Noun
Huger was ultimately charged with a DUI and DWI, 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.
—Liza Esquibias, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Spiker was arrested on charges including wanton endangerment and criminal mischief, WKBO reported.
—Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wanton
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wanton
Adjective
-
Beside one of those blandly obscene bidets.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
-
But the show avoided an FCC probe as the West Coast delay was censored, and the East Coast broadcast aired after the 6am-10pm window during which obscene content is prohibited on broadcast TV and radio.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Alongside contemporaries including Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Maxwell, the neo-soul class focused on recapturing the live, thick instrumentation, rich songwriting and weighted, passionate delivery of its nominal genre predecessor.—
Trevor Anderson,
Billboard,
22 Oct. 2025
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For viewers in the US interested in Canadian sports, CTV provides a window into some of the country’s most passionate sporting traditions alongside major American league coverage.—
Jenzia Burgos,
StyleCaster,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In Pahani’s 2006 award-winning comedy Offside, about the cruel cultural chains binding Iranian women, a group of young women attempt to gain entry to a stadium to watch a World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Japan.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
-
There is no reason to be cruel to people.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Kizzi is an intractable flirt, a trait that is very popular with the boys, and, from the looks of the preview at the end of the episode, also with the girls.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Fire up the flirt pole Cats have teaser wands, dogs have flirt poles.—
Kelsey Monstrola,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The president has been targeting Jeffries online with offensive and vulgar memes since the pair first had an unsuccessful sit-down meeting in the Oval Office just before the shutdown.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
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One room cracked up at a vulgar joke about a woman’s behind, while another went for an outrageous and surreal midfilm montage — but each bit was made genuinely funnier by the dozens of people gasping and wheezing over it.—
Robert Rubsam,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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From here, baking in the heat, general admission fans can watch elite guests queue for private hot laps, while VIP ticket holders dine at exclusive cantinas and hospitality areas.—
Patrick Iversen,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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The increasingly inaccessible real estate market is a hot topic among would-be homeowners these days, leaving shoppers looking for alternative options in the form of rentals, nomadic living, and yes, tiny homes.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Simulations take place between October and March in brutal winter conditions, when the Gobi freezes solid.—
Rosanna Philpott,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
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This early modern period would set the foundations of the rise of the transatlantic slave trade and a new form of slavery—hereditary racial slavery—that would be central to the creation of the racial-caste hierarchy and to the rise of Britain’s wealthy and brutal Caribbean slave empire.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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OpenAI included numerous guardrails with Sora, including moderation, restrictions on scammy, violent and pornographic material, watermarks and controls over how one's likeness is used.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
10 Oct. 2025
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Some states have instituted requirements for websites with adult or pornographic content to verify visitors' age before granting access, although tech experts have pointed out VPNs can be used to get around those guardrails.—
Arpan Lobo,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wanton.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wanton. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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