Word of the Day 12.7.08
wanton
wan·ton (w
n
t
n)
adj.
1. Immoral or unchaste; lewd.
2.
a. Gratuitously cruel; merciless.
b. Marked by unprovoked, gratuitous maliciousness; capricious and unjust: wanton destruction.
3. Unrestrainedly excessive: wanton extravagance; wanton depletion of oil reserves.
4. Luxuriant; overabundant: wanton tresses.
5. Frolicsome; playful.
6. Undisciplined; spoiled.
7. Obsolete Rebellious; refractory.
v. wan·toned, wan·ton·ing, wan·tons
v.intr.
To act, grow, or move in a wanton manner; be wanton.
v.tr.
To waste or squander extravagantly.
n.
1. One who is immoral, lewd, or licentious.
2. One that is playful or frolicsome.
3. One that is undisciplined or spoiled.
[Middle English wantowen : wan-, not, lacking (from Old English; see eu
- in Indo-European roots) + towen, past participle of teen, to bring up (from Old English t
on, to lead, draw; see deuk- in Indo-European roots).]
wan
ton·ly adv.
wan
ton·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
| Noun | 1. | wanton – lewd or lascivious woman
sensualist – a person who enjoys sensuality
light-o’-love, light-of-love – a woman inconstant in love
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| Verb | 1. | wanton – waste time; spend one’s time idly or inefficiently |
| 2. | wanton – indulge in a carefree or voluptuous way of life
live – lead a certain kind of life; live in a certain style; “we had to live frugally after the war”
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| 3. | wanton – spend wastefully; “wanton one’s money away” | |
| 4. | wanton – become extravagant; indulge (oneself) luxuriously | |
| 5. | wanton – engage in amorous play | |
| 6. | wanton – behave extremely cruelly and brutally | |
| Adj. | 1. | wanton – occurring without motivation or provocation; “motiveless malignity”; “unprovoked and dastardly attack”- F.D.Roosevelt
unmotivated – without motivation
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| 2. | wanton – casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior; “her easy virtue”; “he was told to avoid loose (or light) women”; “wanton behavior”
unchaste – not chaste; “unchaste conduct”
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