wanton
wanton is defined in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913) with 9 senses, and appears in Roget's Thesaurus (1911) with 40 related terms. The full text of each entry is reproduced verbatim below.
Definitions
- 1.Wandering from moral rectitude; perverse; dissolute. "Men grown wanton by prosperity." Roscommon.
- 2.Specifically: Deviating from the rules of chastity; lewd; lustful; lascivious; libidinous; lecherous. Not with wanton looking of folly. Chaucer. [Thou art] froward by nature, enemy to peace, Lascivious, wanton. Shak.
- 3.Reckless; heedless; as, wanton mischief.
- 4.A roving, frolicsome thing; a trifler; -- used rarely as a term of endearment. I am afeard you make a wanton of me. Shak. Peace, my wantons; he will do More than you can aim unto. B. Jonson.
- 5.One brought up without restraint; a pampered pet. Anything, sir, That's dry and wholesome; I am no bred wanton. Beau. & Fl.
- 6.A lewd person; a lascivious man or woman.
- 7.To rove and ramble without restraint, rule, or limit; to revel; to play loosely; to frolic. Nature here wantoned as in her prime. Milton. How merrily we would sally into the fields, and strip under the first warmth of the sun, and wanton like young dace in the streams! Lamb.
- 8.To sport in lewdness; to play the wanton; to play lasciviously.
- 9.To cause to become wanton; also, to waste in wantonness. [Obs.]
Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
Synonyms
Related terms (Roget's 1911)
- and
- arbitrary
- blow
- boutade
- brain
- camel
- capriccio
- caprice
- capricious
- captious
- chase
- cold
- contrary
- crotchet
- crotchety
- deuce
- eccentric
- erratic
- escapade
- fad
- fanciful
- fancy
- fantastic
- fast
- fickle
- fit
- fitful
- flimflam
- foolish
- freak
- freakish
- frivolous
- full
- giddy
- gnat
- have
- head
- him
- hot
- humor
Source: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
Related questions
Reverse-dictionary questions
Definition-first questions whose answer is wanton.
- What is wandering from moral rectitude; perverse; dissolute. "Men grown wanton by prosperity." Roscommon called?
- What is reckless; heedless; as, wanton mischief called?
- What is a roving, frolicsome thing; a trifler; -- used rarely as a term of endearment. I am afeard you make a wanton of me. Shak. Peace, my wantons; he will do More than you can aim unto. B. Jonson called?
- What is one brought up without restraint; a pampered pet. Anything, sir, That's dry and wholesome; I am no bred wanton. Beau. & Fl called?
- What is a lewd person; a lascivious man or woman called?
- What is to sport in lewdness; to play the wanton; to play lasciviously called?
- What is to cause to become wanton; also, to waste in wantonness. [Obs.] called?
Sources
- Definitions: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Synonyms & antonyms: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/word/wanton
- Steward: Jason Burns