wanton

Meaning

Adj

1. (archaic) Undisciplined, unruly; not able to be controlled.
2. (obsolete) Playful, sportive; merry or carefree.
3. Lewd, immoral; sexually open, unchaste.
4. Capricious, reckless of morality, justice etc.; acting without regard for the law or the well-being of others; gratuitous.
5. (archaic) Extravagant, unrestrained, excessive.

Noun

1. A pampered or coddled person.
2. An overly playful person; a trifler.
3. A self-indulgent person, fond of excess.
4. (archaic) A lewd or immoral person, especially a prostitute.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To rove and ramble without restraint, rule, or limit; to revel; to play loosely; to frolic.
2. (transitive) To waste or squander, especially in pleasure (most often with away).
3. (intransitive) To act wantonly; to be lewd or lascivious.

Noun

wonton (Chinese dumpling)

Synonyms

lascivious

licentious

lewd

wanton away

lecherous

profligate

lustful

sportive

promiscuous

wayward

dissolute

loose

light

trifle away

sluttish

dally

piddle

trifle

culpable

capricious

libidinous

loose woman

easy

court

amorous

piddle away

libertine

uncontrolled

unchaste

unprovoked

abandoned

depraved

unrestrained

riotous

playful

debauched

salacious

reprehensible

motiveless

arbitrary

of easy virtue

luxuriate

self-willed

vicious

flirt with

flighty

fickle

fastidious

crotchety

factious

Translations

baldadig

devasso

liederlich

losbandig

aufrührerisch

mutwillig

lascivo

léger

ξεμυαλισμένος

malicieux

ακόλαστη

εύθυμος

λάγνη

dissolu

schwelgerisch

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈwɒntən/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: wantoun

Inherited from Old English: togen

In summary

From Middle English wantoun, wantowen, wantoȝen, wantowe (“uneducated; unrestrained; licentious; sportive; playful”), from wan- (“not, un-, mis-”) + towen, i-towen (“educated”, literally “towed; led; drawn”), from Old English togen, ġetogen, past participle of tēon (“to train, discipline”), equivalent to wan- + towed.