wanton
Noun pluralwantons, wanton
Pluralwantons, wanton
Formswantons, wantoning, wantoned
- 1Done with no care for the law or for other people, often for no good reason.
The wanton killing of the animals made everyone in town angry.
Breaking every window in the school was wanton damage, not a prank.
UsageSay wanton destruction or wanton cruelty.
Similarcallous, merciless, unjustified, inhumane
Note
- 2Behaving in a sexual way that people think is wrong or shameful.
The gossips called her wanton for kissing a different boy every weekend.
In the story, people wrongly believed she was wanton because she danced at the fair.
UsageIt is a harsh judgment, mostly said about women.
Similarlewd, lustful, lascivious, unchaste, libidinous
Oppositechaste, virtuous, modest
Note
- 3Far too much, with nothing to hold it back.
The king lived a life of wanton luxury in his golden palace.
Their wanton feasts used more food than the whole village ate in a month.
Similarexcessive, extravagant, lavish, unrestrained, immoderate
Note
- 4A Chinese dumpling, often eaten in soup.
We ate hot soup with wantons at the market.
Grandma folded each wanton by hand.
UsageIn other places it is usually spelled wonton.
Similarwonton
Note
Less common meanings
- 5A person who is thought to behave in a sexually wrong way, especially someone who sells sex.
The strict judge sent the wanton away from the city.
The preacher warned the young men to stay away from wantons.
Similarlecher
Note
- 6Playful, happy, and without worries.
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.
1776, Edward Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman EmpireHere, wanton means playful and carefree.Similarfrisky, frolicsome, coltish
Note
- 7
- 8To waste something like time or money, often on having fun.
And never would he wanton his cause away with wine.
1929, “A Song of an Old General”, in Witter BynnerThe young man wantoned away his inheritance.
UsageSay wanton away your time or money.
Similarsplurge
Note
- 9
- 10
- 11A person who plays around too much and is never serious.
Peace, my wantons; he will do / More than you can aim unto.
1611, Ben Jonson, OberonHere, wantons means playful people who are never serious.Similartrifler
Note
- 12A person who always wants too much of everything they enjoy.
- 13A person who has been treated too softly and given everything they want.
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Practice
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Origins
From Middle English wantoun, first meaning “untrained” or “wild”, made from wan- (“not”) and a word meaning “trained” or “brought up”.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Wanton derives from Middle English wantoun. en.wiktionary.org
- The original meaning was untrained or undisciplined. upload.wikimedia.org
- The word combines negative wan- with a participle meaning trained or brought up. upload.wikimedia.org
Borrowed from Cantonese wan tan.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- The noun wanton, meaning wonton, was borrowed from Cantonese wan tan. en.wiktionary.org