as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
his libertine sister had got caught up in the urban drug scene and had died of an overdose
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pervert
a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard
the legend of Don Juan depicts him as a playboy and libertine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 libertine
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
Following Matthew Perry's death in 2023, the actress reflected on her time portraying his character's memorable mother, the libertine erotic novelist Nora Bing.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Nov. 2025
Cutting an image that contrasted with Ali’s more libertine act, Frazier traveled with his family, including his teenage son, Marvis, an aspiring boxer himself.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
The more libertine Chase School encouraged originality and deep engagement with the work from its male and female pupils.
—Anne Halsey, JSTOR Daily, 6 Aug. 2025
The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
The libertines will begin the film in suits.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
If there really was a class of unaccountable, libertine global élites plundering the world, then wasn’t Trump obviously a member?
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
Following Matthew Perry's death in 2023, the actress reflected on her time portraying his character's memorable mother, the libertine erotic novelist Nora Bing.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Nov. 2025
Cutting an image that contrasted with Ali’s more libertine act, Frazier traveled with his family, including his teenage son, Marvis, an aspiring boxer himself.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
The more libertine Chase School encouraged originality and deep engagement with the work from its male and female pupils.
—Anne Halsey, JSTOR Daily, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
The protagonist of A Love Story is a lover boy, a libertine, a gossip, a flirt.
—The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
The libertines will begin the film in suits.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for libertine
Adjective
-
And right now, these corrupt billionaires, these greedy corporations, are determining all avenues of our life, all types of policies.—
Jim DeFede,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Just as all British became painted as corrupt as part of their national character, so too did all Native people become seen as savage by their biological nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Nora Ephron for depressed perverts.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2026
-
You are being spied on by a pervert.—
Jay Ruttenberg,
New Yorker,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
About 200 had been recorded by experts over the following centuries, but the remaining messages were too degraded to read — until RTI brought them into focus.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Looking ahead, the Few & Far team is working to restore more than 200,000 acres of land in the area, replant degraded forests, and safeguard endangered wildlife.—
Lale Arikoglu,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In all vertebrates, the thymus degenerates very rapidly with age.—
Mallory Locklear,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Ike Barinholtz may play degenerates well, but, off screen, the writer, comedian and star is something of a trivia savant.—
Lacey Rose,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In California courts, sick and dying workers are suing quartz slab makers and countertop vendors — including several Bay Area shops, along with Home Depot, Lowe’s and Costco.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The union representing the city’s subway workers has filed suit against the MTA, arguing that transit agency honchos failed to get proper public comment before deciding not to back-fill sick subway station agents.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Similarly, Early’s dissolute failson feels less like a self-portrait than like a darkly comic deflection, a gargoyle-ish stand-in for his creator’s anxieties.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The Celine sculptures possess a dissolute drama, their icy white light toggling between the enticing and the clinical.—
Rachel Wetzler,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Libertine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libertine. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
