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
Chris Branch, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
The supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy is associated with wanton destruction, but a recent discovery throws that assumption into question.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 3 Oct. 2024
Cosgrove and Mattingly were not charged, but Hankison was tried on several counts of wanton endangerment over bullets that entered a neighboring apartment.
—Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 12 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wanton
Adjective
But to have a wanton act of violence kill 15 innocent people — on New Year’s Day, no less — is new in the worst way.
—Chris Branch, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
The supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy is associated with wanton destruction, but a recent discovery throws that assumption into question.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
Marks is also charged with wanton endangerment, reckless driving and menacing.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 3 Oct. 2024
Cosgrove and Mattingly were not charged, but Hankison was tried on several counts of wanton endangerment over bullets that entered a neighboring apartment.
—Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 12 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wanton
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wanton
Adjective
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Presented at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, in 1976 as part of a group show of artists’ books, Santoro’s volume was immediately censored as obscene and offensive.—
Paola Ugolini,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2025
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Cybertruck owners have shared displays of hostility from other motorists on a Facebook page, including vulgar notes left on their vehicles and obscene gestures directed at them from passing cars.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA TODAY,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The couple alternates between passionate embraces and domestic tension (an ambulance shows up in their driveway, at one point, its whirring red and blue light hinting something sinister has just taken place).—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
1 Apr. 2025
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Sanchez, who described herself as a passionate volleyball player in her youth, talked of girls’ losing coveted spots on teams, and in some cases suffering injuries during games because of trans athletes unfairly competing against them.—
Jessica Garrison,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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What's particularly cruel about that reality is that after years of dealing with questions about his weight, the former Duke Blue Devil star played a career-high 70 games in 2023-24.—
Bobby Krivitsky,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
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Here, Munir may be vaccinating chickens rather than grabbing them on their way to slaughter, but the work is just as thankless and cruel.—
Bartolomeo Sala,
The Dial,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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As gold flirts with all-time highs again, headlines are quick to shout what many family offices already know: when the world trembles, gold glitters.—
Francois Botha,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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In the middle of all this, Alexa and Lino remain pretty steadfast in their commitment to each other (except when Lino occasionally gets the urge to cheat and flirts with Alex, who turns him down every time).—
Charlotte Walsh,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The childish use of vulgar profanity simply leads peoople to view the speaker as being unable to express his/her view.—
Letters to the editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2025
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Along with receiving vulgar comments in person and people taking her picture on campus, the 18-year-old has received vile and sexist messages after her phone number was posted online.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This is an encouraging trend, considering Adebayo shot just 29 of 106 (27.4 percent) on threes in his first 44 appearances of the season prior to this hot stretch.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2025
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The script, from first-time feature writer Nora Garrett, was a hot property among readers in recent years.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway fared better than the S & P 500 in a brutal week as investors embraced the safety of a cash-rich conglomerate while President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs wreaked havoc on Wall Street.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2025
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With six games remaining in the regular season — and five of them coming in a brutal seven-day span — the Knicks are suddenly getting healthy at a time when workload management becomes a daily dilemma.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Instead of worrying that rich foods would lead to lustful appetites, Americans began worrying that rich foods would kill their libidos.—
Rachel Hope Cleves / Made by History,
TIME,
14 Feb. 2025
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The story about Dieter sounds mostly made up, likely by a lustful Kier who invented a lustful brother to cover up his secret shame.—
Josh Wigler,
The Hollywood Reporter,
10 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wanton.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wanton. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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