# wanton

Pronunciation: say "WON-tuhn" US /ˈwɑntən/, UK/AUS /ˈwɒntən/

## Adjective

1. Acting, or done, without regard for law, justice, morality, or the well-being of others, often for no reason at all.
   - Simple: Done with no care for the law or for other people, often for no good reason.
   - _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._
2. Lewd or immoral, especially in being sexually open or unchaste.
   - Simple: Behaving in a sexual way that people think is wrong or shameful.
   - _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._
3. Extravagant and excessive, without restraint.
   - Simple: Far too much, with nothing to hold it back.
   - _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._

## Noun

4. A wonton: a Chinese dumpling, often served in soup. *(Philippines, Singapore)*
   - Simple: A Chinese dumpling, often eaten 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._
11. A person who is too playful and never serious; a trifler.
   - Simple: A person who plays around too much and is never serious.

## Verb

8. To waste or squander something, especially on pleasure, usually with away.
   - Simple: To waste something like time or money, often on having fun.
9. To move, roam, or play freely without restraint; to revel or frolic.
   - Simple: To move or play around freely, with nothing to hold you back.
10. To behave without moral restraint, especially in a lewd or lascivious way.
   - Simple: To behave in a wild, shameless, sexual way.

## Noun

5. A person regarded as lewd or immoral, especially a prostitute. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A person who is thought to behave in a sexually wrong way, especially someone who sells sex.
   - _In the old ballad, the soldier leaves his wife for a painted wanton in the town._
   - _The magistrate ordered the tavern closed, calling it a den of thieves and wantons._

## Adjective

6. Full of play and high spirits; merry and carefree. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Playful, happy, and without worries.
7. Undisciplined and unruly; impossible to control. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Wild and hard to control, not obeying any rules.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A self-indulgent person who loves excess.
- (noun) A person who has been pampered or coddled.

## Origin

**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”).
**Meaning 4** — Borrowed from Cantonese 雲吞 (wan⁴ tan¹).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/wanton (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).