done, shown, used, etc., maliciously or unjustifiably: a wanton attack; wanton cruelty.
deliberate and without motive or provocation; uncalled-for; headstrong; willful: Why jeopardize your career in such a wanton way?
without regard for what is right, just, humane, etc.; careless; reckless: a wanton attacker of religious convictions.
sexually lawless or unrestrained; loose; lascivious; lewd: wanton behavior.
extravagantly or excessively luxurious, as a person, manner of living, or style.
luxuriant, as vegetation.
Archaic.
sportive or frolicsome, as children or young animals.
having free play: wanton breezes; a wanton brook.
noun
a wanton or lascivious person, especially a woman.
verb (used without object)
to behave in a wanton manner; become wanton.
verb (used with object)
to squander, especially in pleasure (often followed by away): to wanton away one's inheritance.
Origin of wanton
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English wantowen, literally, “undisciplined, ill-reared,” Old English wan- “not” + togen, past participle of tēon “to discipline, rear,” cognate with German ziehen, Latin dūcere “to lead”; akin to tow1
Over a decade, his teaching often took place in an atmosphere of what one cadet called “wanton disrespect.”
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor|S. C. Gwynne|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His story is largely devoid of wanton violence and gratuitous sex.
What Would You Do if the World Was Over?|William O’Connor|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lind ruled that evidence that al Qaeda had obtained information via WikiLeaks was also relevant to proving “wanton publication.”
Questions Over Judge’s Rulings But Little Hope for Bradley Manning|Alexa O'Brien|July 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The new movie Pacific Rim has brought robots bursting back into our collective consciousness like wanton property damage.
Terminator, Wall-E & More of the Best Robots in Film (Video)|Victoria Kezra|July 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
No huge tax cuts for the rich; no repeal of Obamacare; no opposition to same-sex marriage; no wanton unilateralism; and so on.
The Case for Transformation|Michael Tomasky|January 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Men and women could love together seven years, and no wanton lusts were between them, and then was love truth and faithfulness.
The English Novel in the Time of Shakespeare|J. J. Jusserand
Nuptial love maketh mankind; friendly love perfecteth it; but wanton love corrupteth, and embaseth it.
Essays|Francis Bacon
These forays were in some instances accompanied by wanton excesses and needless bloodshed.
The Student's Life of Washington; Condensed from the Larger Work of Washington Irving|Washington Irving
Most persons appear unable to restrain this wanton inclination to take life, when a mustang approaches within rifle-shot.
Early Western Travels 1748-1846, Volume XX|Various
Those men were done to death by wanton carelessness upon the part of men sent out by the British War Office.
Campaign Pictures of the War in South Africa (1899-1900)|A. G. Hales
British Dictionary definitions for wanton
wanton
/ (ˈwɒntən) /
adjective
dissolute, licentious, or immoral
without motive, provocation, or justificationwanton destruction
maliciously and unnecessarily cruel or destructive
unrestrainedwanton spending
archaic, orpoeticplayful or capricious
archaic(of vegetation, etc) luxuriant or superabundant
noun
a licentious person, esp a woman
a playful or capricious person
verb
(intr)to behave in a wanton manner
(tr)to squander or waste
Derived forms of wanton
wantonly, adverbwantonness, noun
Word Origin for wanton
C13 wantowen (in the obsolete sense: unmanageable, unruly): from wan- (prefix equivalent to un-1; related to Old English wanian to wane) + -towen, from Old English togen brought up, from tēon to bring up