Wanton Meaning
/ˈwɒntən/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjUndisciplined, unruly; not able to be controlled.
adjPlayful, sportive; merry or carefree.
Sentence Examples
I was relieved that there are people more wanton than me.
Your deeds are wanton.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ destruction of private property in the neighborhood caused public outrage.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The police criticized the ____ destruction of public property, as it caused a lot of damage and high costs today.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"As Flies to wanton Boyes are we to th' Gods, / They kill us for their sport."
— c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
"'Tis the cruel gripe, / That lean hard-handed poverty inflicts, / The hope of better things, the chance to win, / The wiſh to ſhine, the thirſt to be amus'd, / That at the found of Winter's hoary wing, / Unpeople all our counties, of ſuch herds, / Of flutt'ring, loit'ring, cringing, begging, looſe, / And wanton vagrants, as make London, vaſt / And boundless as it is, a crowded coop."
— 1785, William Cowper, “Book III. The Garden.”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson; […], →OCLC, page 133:
"The grave simplicity of the philosopher was ill calculated to engage her wanton levity, or to fix that unbounded passion for variety, which often discovered personal merit in the meanest of mankind."
— 1776, Edward Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, volume 1:
"if wenches will hang out lures for fellows, it is no matter what they suffer: I detest such creatures; and it would be much better for them that their faces had been seamed with the smallpox: but I must confess I never saw any of this wanton behaviour in poor Jenny [...]."
— 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
"I know I ought never to have dreamt of sending that valentine—forgive me, sir—it was a wanton thing which no woman with any self-respect should have done."
— 1874, Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Smith, Elder & Co., […], →OCLC:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ destruction of private property in the neighborhood caused public outrage.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The police criticized the ____ destruction of public property, as it caused a lot of damage and high costs today.