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
-
The driver was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of DUI and two counts of willful cruelty to a child.—
Cathie Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
12 Aug. 2025 -
Norwalk police on April 22 arrested her on one count of animal cruelty, records show.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The spectacle was carried out with breathtaking emptiness, revealing American values while glorifying Putin’s brutality.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
17 Aug. 2025
-
The city has previously denied using tows to make money and has denied claims that Furman was engaged in police brutality, noting he was investigated by Michigan State Police in one incident but cleared.—
Tresa Baldas,
Freep.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Swearing and vulgarity aren’t just crass or abusive.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
15 June 2025
-
The fastidious formality of Monsieur Gustave H. exists right alongside his matter-of-fact vulgarity, a combination that Fiennes nails with astounding precision.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
12 June 2025
Noun
-
The appellate court ruled Friends of George's lacked standing to sue over the law as its performances would have artistic value and therefore not fall under the obscenity statute.—
Melissa Brown,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
-
Eight years later, the magazine famously published nude photos of her, which was unheard of at the time, and Hugh Hefner was arrested on obscenity charges.—
Julie Tremaine,
People.com,
1 July 2025
Noun
-
Over-Nite Sensation is a triumph: a concentrated digest from perhaps the most popular stretch of his career, and a freeze-frame of his compositional flowering and ingenious lyrical ribaldry.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
The Atlantic,
27 Nov. 2023
-
Finding liberty in punk artistry, Dury updated the tradition of British music-hall ribaldry and rude folk humor.—
Armond White,
National Review,
3 Aug. 2022
Noun
-
The plant converts coal into coke, a key ingredient in steelmaking, by baking it in high-temperature ovens to remove impurities.—
Jenna Sundel
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Aug. 2025
-
To make coke, coal is baked in special ovens for hours at high temperatures to remove impurities that could otherwise weaken steel.—
Marc Levy,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Wantonness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wantonness. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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