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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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
Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2025
Hankison was cleared of his state charges of wanton endangerment in 2022 and faced a deadlocked jury over federal charges in 2023.
—Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 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
Spiker was arrested on charges including wanton endangerment and criminal mischief, WKBO reported.
—Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2025
Hankison was cleared of his state charges of wanton endangerment in 2022 and faced a deadlocked jury over federal charges in 2023.
—Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for wanton
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wanton
Adjective
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Banners or signs may not be commercial in nature or obscene, or cause any disturbance to other fans.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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Workers described incidents of verbal and physical abuse, including reports from women workers who said they had been manhandled and subjected to obscene remarks and threats.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
As his star has risen, the performer born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio has become the most passionate and effective ambassador in Puerto Rican history.—
Leila Cobo,
Billboard,
1 Oct. 2025
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Stay open to rapid communication, travel opportunities, or passionate connections.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s actually the cruelest thing about them.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
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The cold on August 27, 2011, was unprecedented—unbridled, utterly cruel.—
Mariana Enriquez
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 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
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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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Colorado has condemned a vulgar chant its fans directed at BYU during its football team’s 24-21 loss Saturday at Folsom Field.—
David Ubben,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Protecting speech for all requires great tolerance for the vulgar, rude, offensive, angry, mean and, yes, even hateful.—
The Detroit News Editorial Board,
Twin Cities,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Add onion, garlic, ginger, celery to hot oil and cook for 2 minutes; do not allow to brown.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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After the slow, quiet, hot month of August, when many Parisians leave the city and go on holiday, the arrival of fall fills the city with life again as temperatures cool and everyone gets back to their routine.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The scene, which was not in Stephenie Meyer's 2008 book that the movie was adapted from, raised eyebrows for its brutal killings of vampires Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli) and Jasper Hale (Jackson Rathbone), as well as werewolves Seth (Booboo Stewart) and Leah Clearwater (Julia Jones).—
Jen Juneau,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
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In a new era of Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders, the race to own Birmingham’s massive reconstruction project becomes a brutal contest of mythical dimensions.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Like its more famous cousin from Willendorf, the depicted woman looks less like a person than like a pornographic composite of breasts, hips, and labia.—
Harmon Siegel,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
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Jessica Guistolise, Megan Hurley and Molly Kelley talk with CNBC in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on July 11, 2025, about fake pornographic images and videos depicting their faces made by their mutual friend Ben using AI site DeepSwap.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wanton.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wanton. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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