wantonness

noun

Definition of wantonnessnext
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

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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wantonness
  1. cruelty
  2. grossness
  3. brutality
  4. vulgarity
  5. suggestiveness
  6. lasciviousness
  7. lewdness
  8. coarseness
Noun
  • So far, more than 100 officers have completed training on recognizing animal cruelty and collecting evidence, and have been equipped with referrals to resources if no cruelty is found.
    — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • As Rhaenyra slowly descends into a pit of despair, cruelty and desperation, Daemon and his armies run into some snags on their assault of Tumbleton thanks to the various tricks Lord Ormund has up his sleeves.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of cruelty
Noun
  • But Paddy’s isn’t Sudz, and the Gang’s efforts to soft-pedal their antics to be more in line with those mainstream bars devolved into typical Sunny-style hostility and off-putting grossness.
    — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026
  • All your Dad has to do is fill it and drink—the microfilter membrane will do the rest by removing chlorine odors, dirt, bacteria, and any other grossness floating around in there.
    — Francesca Krempa, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026
Definition of grossness
Noun
  • The Beast in Me showrunner Howard Gordon knows there was one scene in the Netflix limited series that was divisive because of its brutality.
    — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Today, such dreams might put a woman in jail or expose her to the casual brutality of the Taliban’s paternal order.
    — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of brutality
Noun
  • The once-vaunted values of public life are now reduced to the lower standards of private life—venality, vulgarity, rudeness, incontinence, and ignorance.
    — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
  • Benoit delights in language as much as her heroine, weaving Regency-era slang throughout and appending a chapter-by-chapter glossary of vulgarities.
    — Angelina Mazza, Vulture, 19 June 2026
Definition of vulgarity
Noun
  • The bucket quickly went viral for its not-safe-for-work suggestiveness.
    — Greta Cross, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of suggestiveness
Noun
  • 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
Definition of lasciviousness
Noun
  • The writing, by Estelle Hoy and Justine Gelfman, was sassy and sharp, and the narrative exuded a whimsical lewdness that cut against the production’s overall slapstick sensibility.
    — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • He was charged with reckless endangerment, graffiti, public lewdness, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, the NYPD said, according to NBC News.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of lewdness
Noun
  • But many seemingly urbane texts also benefited from the intellectual and moral coarseness of their times.
    — Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
  • 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
Definition of coarseness

Browse Nearby Words

wantonly
wantonness
wantons
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Cite this Entry

“Wantonness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wantonness. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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