How to Use wanton in a Sentence

wanton

1 of 2 adjective
  • Vandals were guilty of the wanton destruction of the school property.
  • He showed a wanton disregard for his friend's feelings.
  • They were accused of wanton cruelty toward animals.
  • The wanton madness on the streets and the threat to human life is almost too much to bear.
    Corey Atad, Esquire, 7 July 2017
  • This is a crime, and a wanton disregard of other people.
    Chris Francescani, ABC News, 15 Feb. 2020
  • Sleep under the stars on a warm late June night, and take it all in with a side of wanton, prurient sky candy.
    Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 7 Jan. 2020
  • He was cited for of willful or wanton disregard of safety.
    Joe Vardon, cleveland.com, 23 Oct. 2017
  • Then again, this is a dark comedy in which the wanton decadence is best left to speak for itself, and to be guiltily enjoyed.
    David Coddon, sandiegouniontribune.com, 19 Mar. 2018
  • No drunken screaming matches with roommates or wanton drug use.
    Hilary Elkins, Marie Claire, 14 June 2017
  • Now go to Apps, and gaze upon what your wanton permissions-granting hath wrought.
    Brian Barrett, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2018
  • Briggs was later charged and indicted on one count of of murder and seven counts of wanton endangerment.
    Billy Kobin, The Courier-Journal, 25 Feb. 2020
  • Some believe the wanton slaughter produced the unsanitary conditions that triggered the plague.
    Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2020
  • She was booked into jail on a felony wanton endangerment charge and DUI.
    Justin Sayers, The Courier-Journal, 27 July 2017
  • Yet if that's a boon to consumers, there's a nagging sense that such wanton abundance and convenience will come with tradeoffs for studios.
    Brian Lowry, CNN, 14 Jan. 2020
  • Humankind must become accountable on a massive scale for the wanton destruction of our collective home.
    Jill Gleeson, Country Living, 28 Mar. 2023
  • But there is reason to believe that a universal basic income wouldn't ignite a wanton spending spree on jet skis and handbags.
    Ben Mitchell, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2019
  • After the incident, Herald was charged with one count of assault and one count of wanton endangerment.
    Sarah Brookbank, Cincinnati.com, 25 July 2019
  • He's been charged with murder, two counts of first degree wanton endangerment and first degree assault.
    Sarah Ladd, The Courier-Journal, 27 Apr. 2020
  • Deffendall said the student will face charges of possessing a weapon on school property and wanton endangerment.
    Crimesider Staff, CBS News, 9 Mar. 2018
  • He is held at the Campbell County Jail on three counts of wanton endangerment, jail records show.
    Jennifer Edwards Baker and Lauren Minor, Cincinnati.com, 1 July 2019
  • These were wanton, extreme acts of violence out of lust for destruction and brutality.
    Andrea Thomas, WSJ, 9 July 2017
  • Seewright is charged with first-degree assault and wanton endangerment.
    Thomas Novelly, The Courier-Journal, 9 July 2017
  • No artist should be subjected to this much wanton affection: it's unseemly, like being hugged by a stranger who won't let go.
    James Wolcott, New Republic, 30 Aug. 2004
  • Those are not the words of an administration bent on wanton financial deregulation.
    The Economist, 14 Oct. 2017
  • The man was given a court summons for willful wanton disregard for both safety and private property, leaving the scene of a crash and the red-light violation.
    Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 1 May 2020
  • One of the things that most alarms me about this President is his wanton disregard for democratic institutions -- the courts and rule of law and a free press, among others.
    Chris Cillizza, CNN, 9 Apr. 2018
  • Each worker was charged with wanton neglect and was required to serve two to four weeks in jail, the Des Moines Register reported.
    Crimesider Staff, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2018
  • Any celebration of wanton diversity takes on a different caste these days.
    The Hive, 28 Feb. 2017
  • He was cited for willful wanton disregard for safety and compliance with a lawful order of a police officer.
    Andy Attina / Cleveland.com, cleveland.com, 13 Dec. 2017
  • I also wrote that innocent people would die as a consequence of the wanton, lawless destruction of medical stocks in a dirt-poor country.
    Christopher Hitchens, Nation, 31 May 1999
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wanton

2 of 2 noun
  • Plus, the sinner has been known to wear mirrors on the tops of his shoes for wanton upskirting.
    Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2021
  • How does the prankster in question justify such wanton waste?
    Amelia Tait, Wired, 28 Dec. 2021
  • The man was charged with speeding and willful and wanton disregard for safety.
    cleveland, 25 June 2020
  • He's been charged with three counts of wanton endangerment.
    Nicholas Reimann, Forbes, 26 Apr. 2021
  • The man was also charged with speeding and wanton disregard of public safety.
    John Benson, cleveland, 16 June 2021
  • One was indicted on a charge of wanton endangerment and has pleaded not guilty.
    USA Today, 11 Mar. 2021
  • He has been charged with murder and wanton endangerment.
    CBS News, 28 June 2020
  • He was acquitted on three counts of felony wanton endangerment in connection with the raid.
    Giselle Rhoden, CNN, 16 Apr. 2022
  • During the middle years of their marriage … his campaign to free his bride so that she could become a wanton had languished.
    Andrew M. Greeley, Ascent into Hell, 1983
  • The extremists have left a trail of wanton, sometimes bizarre, destruction.
    National Geographic, 6 Feb. 2017
  • The next day he was found not guilty on three charges of wanton endangerment, a low-level felony that could have landed him in prison for one to five years.
    Dylan Lovan, ajc, 4 Mar. 2022
  • And beyond that, isn’t charged with her death, but is only charged with three counts of wanton endangerment of the first degree.
    Sarah Midkiff, refinery29.com, 30 Sep. 2020
  • Hankison is charged with three counts wanton endangerment and has been fired.
    Kevin L. Clark, Essence, 24 Feb. 2022
  • What eye can trace them, in their varied wanton amorous chaces, bounding and fluttering on the odiferous air!
    Annie Proulx, The New Yorker, 27 June 2022
  • Lopez pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and nine counts of first-degree wanton endangerment following the shooting.
    Billy Kobin, The Courier-Journal, 9 July 2020
  • His rhetoric, his callousness, his wanton lies all make a compromise harder.
    Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, 22 June 2018
  • The erotic scenes are dialectical as well as hot; the meetings have a wanton, feverish energy.
    A. O. Scott, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2017
  • Bans on torture and wanton destruction have been in place for the U.S. Army since the eighteen-sixties.
    Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2021
  • He was acquitted in March of three state charges of wanton endangerment for firing those shots without a clear target.
    Marisa Iati, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2022
  • First-degree wanton endangerment is a Class D felony, the lowest of four classes of felonies.
    Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 24 Sep. 2020
  • There is a difference between protest, even angry protest, and wanton destruction and looting.
    Editorial Board, Star Tribune, 12 Apr. 2021
  • Cruz did assert that all of the legal attacks are motivated by political calculus and a wanton disregard for the rule of law.
    Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, 2 Aug. 2023
  • Hankison, who is expected to take the stand in his own defense, faces three counts of felony wanton endangerment.
    Aaron Cooper and Ray Sanchez, CNN, 24 Feb. 2022
  • What if, after a yearlong pandemic, mass audiences aren’t ready for a movie with so much wanton death and destruction?
    New York Times, 14 July 2021
  • That office confirmed that a jury found Chapman not guilty of open and gross lewdness and lewd, wanton, and lascivious acts.
    Danny McDonald, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2019
  • Hankison was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment; the other officers were not charged.
    Dylan Lovan, Star Tribune, 11 Nov. 2020
  • He was charged with wanton endangerment and criminal mischief.
    Louisville Courier Journal, 14 July 2021
  • This wanton abuse of discretion is a ruthless political vendetta.
    Robin Goist, cleveland, 22 Mar. 2021
  • Hankison has pleaded not guilty to three counts of wanton endangerment, a class D felony that is one step above a misdemeanor.
    Tessa Duvall, The Courier-Journal, 1 Feb. 2022
  • Colorado and Chicago are right to move to enact policies that protect drivers; to stop the wanton firing of workers who make ride-hail possible.
    Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wanton.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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