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
Relevance
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wantonness
Noun
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Also on Sunday, Jacqueline’s aunt, Jackelyn Garcia, 28, was arrested and charged with intentional cruelty to a child under the age of 19, risk of injury to a child and first-degree unlawful restraint.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025 -
Other scary asylum stories highlighted a fear of institutional cruelty — of authority figures with total power over vulnerable patients.—
Jen Rose Smith,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In fact, plenty of other things in your home surpass the toilet in terms of grossness.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Brain rot has become unavoidable, its grossness ubiquitous.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The hard-hitting police brutality drama was released in 2018 simultaneously in Italian cinemas and on Netflix, sparking controversy from distributors in Italy who clamored for a theatrical window.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Courts have sometimes concluded the government's conduct was outrageous when police have used brutality against a defendant or government agents entrapped a defendant.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Songs marked explicit mean their lyrics include swear words or other vulgarities.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The presence of these planes flying close to our Caribbean Sea is a vulgarity, a provocation, a threat to the security of the nation.—
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
-
There is plenty of coarseness in American arenas totally unrelated to MAGA or Trumpism, of course.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
11 Oct. 2025
-
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,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There’s some rudeness, aggressive conversations, and crudeness, but nothing too over the top.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Those exceptions include true threats, defamation, harassment and obscenities.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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On Florida college campuses, student attempts to speak out for Palestinian rights — including calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — have been met with Islamophobia and obscenities in some instances, students say.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Wantonness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wantonness. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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