1
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
that novel was once regarded as a wanton tale of forbidden love
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in passionate
having a strong sexual desire
in earlier times, novelists usually portrayed wanton women as coming to a bad end
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cruel
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
a wanton attack on unarmed civilians
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wanton
James McNicholas, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
This is not wanton destruction, or some kind of religious war on the world.
—Mishal Husain, Bloomberg, 13 Mar. 2026
Matt Schooley, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Parents and teachers concerned about wanton immigration raids and their effect on kids.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wanton
Adjective
Referee Peter Bankes had no option but to book him for this wanton act of sponsorship vandalism, but Guardiola will care little.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
This is not wanton destruction, or some kind of religious war on the world.
—Mishal Husain, Bloomberg, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
Meier said their wanton and reckless conduct and failure to stop the boxing match led to Delgado-Garcia's serious injuries and death.
—Matt Schooley, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Parents and teachers concerned about wanton immigration raids and their effect on kids.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wanton
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wanton
Adjective
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For instance, the ruling recognized that the government’s need to protect national security might require it to prevent publication of the number and location of troops and that the primary requirements of decency might require censorship of obscene publications.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Bounds said this gives the mayor the power to intervene when a member of the public engages in obscene speech or in speech intended to incite others in the room.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Savannah is so passionate about the game.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Feelings of affection will become passionate.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In what neatly encapsulates the uncomfortable, rude, thin-skinned yet cruel, sarcastic and ultimately juvenile communication style of his online brood, the leader of the pack started with — what else — Lawrence’s looks.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
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Every day in New York City, thousands of home attendants are being forced to work cruel 24-hour shifts while being paid for only 13 of those hours.—
Christopher Marte,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
One flirts and drinks and dallies and dances; the other is part child, part monk, his mantel packed with icons and crucifixes, his inner landscape a kind of mental Sagrada Família — a weird and extraordinary edifice constructed around the rigors and promises of Christianity.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
-
As crude flirts with prices of $100 a barrel or more on the back of the war in Iran, could the US oil sector ride to the rescue of consumers?—
David Wethe,
Bloomberg,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The word was considered so vulgar that it was left out of early dictionaries and was rarely printed, though Adams says people were certainly using it.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2026
-
One day, Dahlstrom made a vulgar joke in a lunchroom referencing oral sex and pubic hair, according to the employee.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Provide afternoon shade for asters grown in hot climates.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
29 Apr. 2026
-
As a result, the wide, shallow bay, with its lacework of shoals and basins, grows hot and hypersaline, killing seagrass, fueling algae blooms and hurting the economy of the Keys.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In Oddity, Darcy (Carolyn Bracken) is driven entirely by grief over the brutal murder of her twin sister.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Demand for EVs in China is slowing after the government trimmed consumer subsidies and perks, and there’s no end in sight to a brutal price war as a crowded field of EV rivals jostle to outperform and undercut one another.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Swift’s likeness has been used without permission in numerous AI fakes, including by Meta’s AI chatbots and in pornographic images that have circulated on the internet.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
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This material included thousands of pornographic deepfakes that Kamnik had generated using AI tools.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wanton.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wanton. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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