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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
  • Beyond biological and nuclear threats, AI companies face harsh organizational incentives to develop AI even faster and — experts say — more recklessly.
    — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Ferrari was charged with injuries to a police dog, recklessly endangering another person and inflicting injury to a domestic animal, the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office said.
    — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 16 Sep. 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
  • Come to think of it, there were a lot of questionable calls/no-calls from the officiating crew during Saturday night's game in Jordan Hare, perhaps Fralick was one of the refs trying desperately to gift the Tigers a win to save his skin.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The Cowboys’ first-year defensive coordinator has not inspired a lot of confidence in a fanbase that desperately wants to believe that his hiring would have a noticeable impact on one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of desperately
Adverb
  • Close colleagues and friends said Chatfield had a way with words and expressed himself most comfortably through writing.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Sheik’s breakthrough came after several years in Los Angeles, but fame never sat comfortably with him.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 18 Sep. 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 24 Sep. 2026.

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