wanton
wanton
(ˈwɒntən
) adjective
1 dissolute, licentious, or immoral
2 without motive, provocation, or justification ■ wanton destruction
3 maliciously and unnecessarily cruel or destructive
4 unrestrained ■ wanton spending
5 archaic or poetic playful or capricious
6 archaic (of vegetation, etc) luxuriant or superabundant
▷ noun
7 a licentious person, esp a woman
8 a playful or capricious person
▷ verb
9 (intransitive) to behave in a wanton manner
10 (transitive) to squander or waste
[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]
> ˈwantonly
adverb
> ˈwantonness noun
