wantonly

adverb

Definition of wantonlynext
1
as in recklessly

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2
as in wastefully

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Dissimilar Words

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 wantonly But even here, where the damage is being done gleefully and wantonly, the US Congress has stood up to these funding cuts in a bipartisan manner. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 3 July 2026 Likewise, a circumstance all by itself could be the matter of regulating AI makers about allowing their AI to wantonly provide mental health advice. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wantonly
  1. recklessly
  2. wastefully
  3. heedlessly
  4. indulgently
  5. desperately
  6. comfortably
Adverb
  • But the parks department will involve law enforcement when people behave recklessly, parks director Nick Walker said.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Court records show he's been charged with third-degree murder, strangulation, involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of recklessly
Adverb
  • On a pretty dead pitch offering very little to the bowlers, the quartet wastefully surrendered their wickets for all that England deserved credit (particularly Archer) for persistence and a generally probing line after what had been a fairly disastrous start to the day from Carse.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of wastefully
Adverb
  • Considered from one angle, the movie is superficial and conventional, zipping heedlessly between the characters without fretting about point of view, creating scenes that don’t so much illuminate characters as simply push the story along.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Yet, future relations with Canada will be the bellwether for whether America can recover the critical alliances this administration has heedlessly ripped apart.
    — Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of heedlessly
Adverb
  • Longevity helps; if Picasso hadn’t outlived his Blue Period and Guernica by a long stretch of years, he might be dinted today as indulgently moody.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
  • There are no indulgently long songs—SUSS record in the present perfect.
    — Brian Howe, Pitchfork, 12 May 2026
Definition of indulgently
Adverb
  • Trailing the Brewers 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Dodgers desperately need to put themselves in the best possible position to win Game 3 and avoid four straight win-or-go-home contests.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Wagler is on a Clippers team that is searching, desperately, for someone to take over.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of desperately
Adverb
  • Family beach villas will comfortably sleep five while the resort goes out of its way to offer activities for parents and kids to bond over.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Housing, groceries, childcare, health care and everyday expenses have risen faster than families can comfortably absorb.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of comfortably

Browse Nearby Words

wanton
wantonly
wantonness
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Cite this Entry

“Wantonly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wantonly. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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