DictionaryAI

wanton

SayWON-tuhn/ˈwɑntən/UK/ˈwɒntən/

Noun pluralwantons, wanton

13 meanings of wanton

Practice

  1. 1
    adjective
    Acting, or done, without regard for law, justice, morality, or the well-being of others, often for no reason at all.

    The court condemned the wanton destruction of homes that served no military purpose.

    Prosecutors argued that the driver showed a wanton disregard for the lives of others.

    UsageMostly describes acts, not people: wanton destruction, wanton cruelty, wanton disregard for life.

    Similarcallous, merciless, unjustified, inhumane

    Note

    The charge it carries is that the harm was gratuitous or showed reckless disregard for others, which is why courts and reporters reach for it. Jane Austen pairs it with spite in Sense and Sensibility: "the utmost meanness of wanton ill-nature".

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • Jane Austen uses the quoted wording in Sense and Sensibility; it occurs in narration describing Edward's judgment of Lucy. gutenberg.org
  2. 2
    sexually looseadjective
    Lewd or immoral, especially in being sexually open or unchaste.

    In the old film, the preacher denounces the saloon singer as a wanton woman.

    The novel's villain spreads rumors that the young widow is wanton and unfaithful.

    UsageIt passes a moral judgment and has mostly been aimed at women: a wanton woman.

    Similarlewd, lustful, lascivious, unchaste, libidinous

    Oppositechaste, virtuous, modest

    Note

    The word has mostly been aimed at women, and it speaks with a moralist's voice: a character in Fielding's Tom Jones detests "wenches" who "hang out lures for fellows", and Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy records the old argument that wives who marry too young "will become wanton". Even Hardy's Bathsheba turns it on herself, calling her valentine "a wanton thing". It judges as it describes.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • In Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, Miss Bridget Allworthy condemns women using the quoted words. gutenberg.org
    • Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy records the quoted argument against marrying too young, in its discussion of Aristotle's Politics. russell-j.com
    • Thomas Hardy's character Bathsheba calls sending her valentine 'a wanton thing' in Far from the Madding Crowd. gutenberg.org
  3. 3
    excessiveadjective
    Extravagant and excessive, without restraint.

    The court was famous for its wanton luxury, with feasts that lasted for days.

    After years of wanton spending on yachts, jewels, and lavish parties, the heir had almost nothing left.

    Similarexcessive, extravagant, lavish, unrestrained, immoderate

    Note

    As a word for excess it is formal and found mostly in pairings: Adam Smith's "wealth and wanton luxury", John Ruskin's "wanton praise of one man and blame of another". Read today, it borrows a moral edge from the reckless sense, so wanton spending sounds like an accusation rather than a simple measure of how much went out.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

    • Adam Smith wrote “wealth and wanton luxury”. gutenberg.org
    • John Ruskin wrote “wanton praise of one man and blame of another”. the-ruskin.co.uk
  4. 4
    dumplingnounPhilippinesSingaporecountable
    A wonton: a Chinese dumpling, often served in soup.

    The hawker stall is famous for its noodles topped with crispy wanton and char siu.

    Each bowl of soup at my lola's comes with six plump wantons.

    UsageMost menus elsewhere spell it wonton.

    Similarwonton

    Note

    Cantonese wan tan gives this spelling directly, and in the Philippines and Singapore it is a common way to write the dumpling that most menus elsewhere call wonton. The English adjective plays no part, so wanton soup or fried wantons on a menu promise dumplings and nothing more.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • The dumpling noun “wanton” is borrowed directly from Cantonese wan tan. en.wiktionary.org
    • “Wanton” is a spelling of the dumpling name used in the Philippines and Singapore. en.wiktionary.org
    • The dumpling name has a separate origin from the English adjective. en.wiktionary.org

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–3, 5–11

From Middle English wantoun, wantowen (“uneducated; unrestrained; licentious; playful”), from wan- (“not, un-, mis-”) + towen, i-towen (“educated”, literally “led, drawn”), from Old English togen, ġetogen, the past participle of tēon (“to train, discipline”).

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 7 facts

Meaning 4

Borrowed from Cantonese 雲吞 (wan⁴ tan¹).

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

  • The noun wanton, meaning wonton, was borrowed from Cantonese 雲吞 (wan⁴ tan¹). en.wiktionary.org