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
  • Law enforcement sources involved in the case told WJZ that the horse was being cared for by someone who is facing animal cruelty and abandonment charges in an unrelated case in West Virginia.
    — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The real problem is the culture, and when culture rewards cruelty, the damage spreads.
    — Jodi Bondi Norgaard, Chicago Tribune, 24 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 army Mladic created to fight in Bosnia was a model of ruthlessness, daring and brutality in the Serb warrior tradition, once prized in the life-or-death partisan struggle against the Nazi occupation of Yugoslavia in World War Two.
    — Ivana Sekularac, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Freya is the granddaughter of Athos — a dog who survived the Russian brutality in Bucha and was found on the street where Ukrainian forces destroyed a large Russian convoy, Danylchenko told the Associated Press in an interview.
    — Laurie Kellman, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of brutality
Noun
  • The distinction between ugliness and vulgarity feels important now.
    — Debbie Millman, Time, 18 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of vulgarity
Noun
  • The Averys also lack the deep, metaphysical suggestiveness of the Gottliebs.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The bucket quickly went viral for its not-safe-for-work suggestiveness.
    — Greta Cross, USA Today, 1 July 2026
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
  • Kelley pleaded guilty to both the remaining charges of public lewdness and obstructing government operations, according to local news outlet WSFA.
    — Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
  • 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
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 1 Sep. 2026.

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