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Meaning & use

wantonness

noun·Advancedliterarydisapproving

Last updated

UK/ˈwɒntənnəs/
US/ˈwɑːntənnəs/
Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.

Meanings

  1. noununcountableliterarydisapproving

    Cruel or reckless behavior that shows no concern for right and wrong or for the harm done to others.

    Grammar: Used without an article: the wantonness of the attack.

    Patterns

    • the wantonness of something
    • with wantonness

    The wantonness of the vandals shocked the whole town.

    Historians condemned the wantonness with which the forest was cut down.

    He destroyed the garden with a wantonness that nobody could explain.

  2. noununcountableold-fashioneddisapproving

    Lack of sexual restraint or a lack of moral control.

    Grammar: An old-fashioned sense, mainly in older books: the wantonness of the court.

    Patterns

    • the wantonness of someone

    Moralists wrote bitterly about the wantonness of the royal court.

    The novel was criticized for its portrayal of wantonness.

    Victorian preachers warned of the wantonness of city life.

Common combinations

sheer wantonness
The fire was started out of sheer wantonness.
the wantonness of destruction
The wantonness of the destruction left the village in ruins.
wantonness and cruelty
The tale is one of wantonness and cruelty.
condemn the wantonness
Critics condemned the wantonness of the spending.
a streak of wantonness
He had a streak of wantonness that worried his friends.

Synonyms and how they differ

recklessness
Recklessness means carelessness about danger, whereas wantonness adds a callous or cruel lack of concern for others.
callousness
Callousness is coldness toward other people's suffering, while wantonness also includes needless, deliberate harm.
malice
Malice means a wish to hurt, but wantonness can be careless of any reason at all.
gratuitousness
Gratuitousness is a neutral-sounding word about something done without need, and it is less emotional than wantonness.

Opposites

restraintcareconsideration

Word family

wanton adjective
cruel or careless without any reason
wantonly adverb
in a cruel, careless way with no reason
wanton noun
an old word for an immoral or undisciplined person

Commonly confused: wantonness or wonton?

wantonness vs wonton

A wonton is a small Chinese dumpling, often served in soup, and has nothing to do with wantonness apart from sounding similar.

Practice

Which situation best shows wantonness?

Make it your own

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