wantonness

wan·ton  (wntn)

adj.

1. Immoral or unchaste; lewd.

2.

a. Gratuitously cruel; merciless.

b. Marked by unprovoked, gratuitous maliciousness; capricious and unjust: wanton destruction.

3. Unrestrainedly excessive: wanton extravagance; wanton depletion of oil reserves.

4. Luxuriant; overabundant: wanton tresses.

5. Frolicsome; playful.

6. Undisciplined; spoiled.

7. Obsolete Rebellious; refractory.

v. wan·toned, wan·ton·ing, wan·tons

v.intr.

To act, grow, or move in a wanton manner; be wanton.

v.tr.

To waste or squander extravagantly.

n.

1. One who is immoral, lewd, or licentious.

2. One that is playful or frolicsome.

3. One that is undisciplined or spoiled.

---

[Middle English wantowen : wan-, not, lacking (from Old English; see eu- in Indo-European roots) + towen, past participle of teen, to bring up (from Old English ton, to lead, draw; see deuk- in Indo-European roots).]

---

wanton·ly adv.

wanton·ness n.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	wantonness - the trait of lacking restraint or control; reckless freedom from inhibition or worry; "she danced with abandon" abandon, unconstraint unrestraint - the quality of lacking restraint
	2.	wantonness - the quality of being lewd and lascivious licentiousness immorality - the quality of not being in accord with standards of right or good conduct; "the immorality of basing the defense of the West on the threat of mutual assured destruction"

Translations

wantonness [ˈwɒntənnɪs] N

1. (= gratuitousness) → lo gratuito; (= senselessness) → falta f de sentido

2. (= dissoluteness) [of person] → lascivia f; [of behaviour] → disipación f, inmoralidad f

wantonness

n

(= immorality) (of sb’s life) → Liederlichkeit f; (of behaviour, woman) → Schamlosigkeit f; (of look, thought) → Lüsternheit f

(= wilfulness) (of cruelty) → Mutwilligkeit f; (of disregard, negligence) → Sträflichkeit f