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
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
As tit-for-tat tariffs spiraled, both countries eased their rhetoric in a bid to avoid wanton economic destruction.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Liza Esquibias, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
He was found not guilty of state-level wanton endangerment charges related to shots fired that entered the apartment of Taylor's neighbors in March 2022.
—Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for wanton
Adjective
The bloody history of the conflict has made it so that some people interpret the language of Palestinian liberation as a call for the wanton murder of Israelis.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
As tit-for-tat tariffs spiraled, both countries eased their rhetoric in a bid to avoid wanton economic destruction.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
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
He was found not guilty of state-level wanton endangerment charges related to shots fired that entered the apartment of Taylor's neighbors in March 2022.
—Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for wanton
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wanton
Adjective
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And for a while, Chase was like spending kind of obscene amounts of money like recycling the metal and the thing.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
10 Mar. 2026
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An investigation by the Bakersfield Police Department also led to separate charges citing Mays for possession of more than 600 images of youth or child pornography and distribution of obscene matter involving someone younger than 18.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Companies like Acorn, which specializes in British TV, and Crunchyroll, devoted to anime, had built real businesses on niches with passionate fans.—
Lucas Shaw,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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Was there one among you all that was kind of most passionate about getting this record done?—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That’s the cruel beauty of golf.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
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Few Iranians will mourn the demise of the cruel and murderous Ayatollah Khamenei or his cohorts, and a large segment of Iranians want the corrupt religious regime gone.—
Trudy Rubin,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Parvati Shallow is a legend now, but her road to victory in Micronesia was paved by alliances with people who’d seen her as nothing more than a flirt in her first season.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
25 Feb. 2026
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Casey Wasserman flirt-emailed with Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, in 2003.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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On Heavenly’s last record, released in 1996, their daydreamy idealism had become more vulgar and concrete, and the instrumental backing had adopted a Britpop punchiness to match; however, the album was released just after drummer Mathew Fletcher’s death, leading to Heavenly’s abrupt dissolution.—
Jude Noel,
Pitchfork,
4 Mar. 2026
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In 2024, another former WISN-AM radio host, Jay Weber, was suspended for two weeks after posting vulgar comments about Walz's then-17-year-old neurodivergent son, Gus.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The number of days per year worldwide that are too hot to engage in ordinary activities has doubled since 1950, separate research found, while Arctic sea ice is at its lowest level on record.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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Jennette Jurado from Death Valley’s Public Information Team echoed that warning, noting that strong winds and hot temperatures over the weekend had probably contributed to a floral decline.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The Ayatollah ruled as a brutal dictator, killing and torturing his own people, imposing harsh restrictions on basic freedoms, and put the lives of our troops and global allies constantly at risk.—
Derek Tran,
Oc Register,
6 Mar. 2026
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Some shows would even include sound effects for a stabbing in a reenactment of a brutal murder.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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According to the criminal complaint, the victims told police that Meyers asked them to send nude photos or make pornographic videos.—
Ross Guidotti,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
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The employees also sent pornographic magazines with the husband’s name on them to a neighbor’s home and planned to break into the couple’s garage to install a GPS device on their car.—
Leah Willingham,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wanton.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wanton. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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