1
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
the barbaric wantonness with which the guards treated the prisoners of war
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grossness
the quality or state of being obscene
novels characterized chiefly by their sheer wantonness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wantonness
Grace’s playfully feral wantonness is funny and bewitching, but her schtick loses its luster for Jackson, who takes a job that keeps him away from home, leaving her with the baby.
—
Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 6 Nov. 2025
Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wantonness
Noun
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Just weeks ago, a jury found Colt's father, Colin, guilty of second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and cruelty to children.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Staff,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
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For Barbara, impending death does not inspire a moral awakening, and Rosenberg never gives the reader an origin story that would excuse her cruelty.—
Isle McElroy,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
If an exclamation point only signified gore and grossness, this gothic rock opera would more than qualify.—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
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The characters’ propensity for ugly faces, silliness and a bit of grossness too, stems from the portrayals of girlhood and young womanhood that appeal to them.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Crump is known for representing relatives of victims of high-profile police brutality cases.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
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Throughout, the camera lingers on Bobbi’s taut body and adonic profile; beauty and brutality are never far apart.—
Michael Snyder,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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It is hoped that political ad campaigns would aim to lessen the meanness and divisiveness and vulgarity that have damaged our democracy.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
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Former President Richard Nixon proved himself no slouch in the vulgarity department after reaching the White House in 1969.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The other funnymen of the time—Milton Berle with his lewd suggestiveness, Jackie Gleason with his baleful roar—did the same shtick over and over.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Marie is disciplined and principled, while her rebellious daughter prides herself on breaking the rules and reveling in lasciviousness.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Essence,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
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This is a distinct category from the Mile-High Clubbers, whose lewdness is much more inappropriate.—
Christopher Elliott,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Jan. 2026
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Claud has two convictions for indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years of age and one conviction for open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The term plant texture refers to the fineness or coarseness, roughness or smoothness, heaviness or lightness of a particular plant.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
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An alkaline compound, baking soda is a non-toxic cleaner with a coarseness that works wonders for scrubbing grime, removing difficult stains, and deodorizing stinky odors.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wantonness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wantonness. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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