What does "wanton" mean?
A pampered or coddled person.
Wanton
/ˈwɑntən/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A pampered or coddled person.
- Grammar: wanton is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abandoned, accident prone, accident-prone, active.
- Useful contrasts: apollonian, constrained, disciplined.
- Usage evidence: I was relieved that there are people more wanton than me.
How to use "wanton"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "wanton" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "wanton" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "wanton" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "wanton" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "wanton" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abandoned" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "wanton", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A pampered or coddled person.
"I would have thee gone — / And yet no farther than a wanton's bird, / That lets it hop a little from her hand, / Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves, / And with a silken thread plucks it back again[…]"
- 2 wonton (Chinese dumpling) Philippines, Singapore
"Add wanton, chives and vegetables to broth and season with 1 tablespoon salt, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, and 1 chicken cube."
- 3 lewd or lascivious woman wordnet
- 4 An overly playful person; a trifler.
"you but dally, / I pray you passe with your best violence, / I am afeard you make a wanton of me."
- 5 A self-indulgent person, fond of excess.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A lewd or immoral person, especially a prostitute. archaic
"...paints with tremendous force the adulteries of the two wantons Aholah and Aholibah, Israel and Judah, and their love of strangers..."
Verb
- 1 To rove and ramble without restraint, rule, or limit; to revel; to play loosely; to frolic. intransitive
"[…] We will fetch thee straight / Adonis painted by a running brook, / And Cytherea all in sedges hid, / Which seem to move and wanton with her breath / Even as the waving sedges play wi’ th’ wind."
- 2 behave extremely cruelly and brutally wordnet
- 3 To waste or squander, especially in pleasure (most often with away). transitive
"The young man wantoned away his inheritance."
- 4 engage in amorous play wordnet
- 5 To act wantonly; to be lewd or lascivious. intransitive
"Be loving and courteous to your fellow Servants, not gigling or idling out your time, or wantoning in the society of men […]"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 become extravagant; indulge (oneself) luxuriously wordnet
- 7 spend wastefully wordnet
- 8 indulge in a carefree or voluptuous way of life wordnet
- 9 waste time; spend one's time idly or inefficiently wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Undisciplined, unruly; not able to be controlled. archaic
"As Flies to wanton Boyes are we to th' Gods, / They kill us for their sport."
- 2 Playful, sportive; merry or carefree. obsolete
"The grave simplicity of the philosopher was ill calculated to engage her wanton levity, or to fix that unbounded passion for variety, which often discovered personal merit in the meanest of mankind."
- 3 Lewd, immoral; sexually open, unchaste.
"if wenches will hang out lures for fellows, it is no matter what they suffer: I detest such creatures; and it would be much better for them that their faces had been seamed with the smallpox: but I must confess I never saw any of this wanton behaviour in poor Jenny [...]."
- 4 Capricious, reckless of morality, justice etc.; acting without regard for the law or the well-being of others; gratuitous.
"Edward himself, now thoroughly enlightened on her character, had no scruple in believing her capable of the utmost meanness of wanton ill-nature."
- 5 Extravagant, unrestrained, excessive. archaic
"the market price will rise more or less above the natural price, according as either the greatness of the deficiency, or the wealth and wanton luxury of the competitors, happen to animate more or less the eagerness of the competition."
Adjective
- 1 casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior wordnet
- 2 occurring without motivation or provocation wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I was relieved that there are people more wanton than me."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "wanton"?
Common synonyms include: abandoned, accident prone, accident-prone, active, adamic, adrift.
How do you use "wanton" in a sentence?
I was relieved that there are people more wanton than me.
How do you pronounce "wanton"?
Pronounced /ˈwɑntən/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English wantoun, wantowen, wantoȝen, wantowe (“uneducated; unrestrained; licentious; sportive; playful”), from wan- (“not, un-, mis-”) + towen, i-towen (“educated”, literally “towed; led; drawn”), from Old English togen, ġetogen, past participle of tēon (“to train, discipline”), equivalent to wan- + towed.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Cantonese 雲吞 /云吞 (wan⁴ tan¹).