Adjective

(en adjective)

(obsolete) Undisciplined, unruly; not able to be controlled.

* 1605 , William Shakespeare, King Lear , IV.1:

As Flies to wanton Boyes are we to th' Gods, / They kill us for their sport.

Lewd, immoral; sexually open, unchaste.

* 1749 , Henry Fielding, Tom Jones :

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 [...].

* 1874 , Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd :

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.

* 1946 , (Bertrand Russell), History of Western Philosophy , I.21:

People should not marry too young, because, if they do, the children will be weak and female, the wives will become wanton , and the husbands stunted in their growth.

(obsolete) Playful, sportive; being merry or carefree (often used figuratively).

* 1776 , Edward Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , vol. 1:

The grave simplicity of the philosopher was ill calculated to engage her wanton levity, of to fix that unbounded passion for variety, which often discovered personal merit in the meanest of mankind.

(obsolete) Self-indulgent, fond of excess; luxurious.

* 1776 , Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations , Book I:

the market price will rise more or less above the natural price, according as either the greatness of the deficiency, or the wealth and wanton luxury of the competitors, happen to animate more or less the eagerness of the competition.

Capricious, reckless of morality, justice etc.; acting without regard for the law or the well-being of others; gratuitous.

* 1811 , Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility :

Edward himself, now thoroughly enlightened on her character, had no scruple in believing her capable of the utmost meanness of wanton ill-nature.

* 2009 , Ben White, The Guardian , 10 Aug 2009:

these developments in Gaza are a consequence of the state of siege that the tiny territory has been under – a society that has been fenced-in, starved, and seen its very fabric torn apart by unemployment and wanton military destruction.

(obsolete) Extravagant, unrestrained; excessive (of speech or thought).

* 1876 , John Ruskin, Letters , 19 Jan 1876:

But do not think it argues change of temper since I wrote the Frère review, or a wanton praise of one man and blame of another.

Adjective

(er)

*

*2006 , Marie Fontaine, The Chronicles of my Ghetto Street Volume One , p. 156:

*:I really don't have any friends at school Mama Mia. They talk about me all the time. They say my hair's nappy and my clothes are nasty .

*{{quote-magazine, title=Towards the end of poverty

, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838, page=11, magazine=(The Economist) citation , passage=But poverty’s scourge is fiercest below $1.25 (the average of the 15 poorest countries’ own poverty lines, measured in 2005 dollars and adjusted for differences in purchasing power): people below that level live lives that are poor, nasty , brutish and short.}}

Contemptible, unpleasant (of a person).

*1897 , (Bram Stoker), Dracula :

*:Jonathan kept staring at him, till I was afraid he would notice. I feared he might take it ill, he looked so fierce and nasty .

Objectionable, unpleasant (of a thing); repellent, offensive.

*1838 , (Charles Dickens), Oliver Twist :

*:‘It's a nasty trade,’ said Mr. Limbkins, when Gamfield had again stated his wish.

Indecent or offensive; obscene, lewd.

*1933 , (Dorothy L Sayers), Murder Must Advertise :

*:He said to Mr. Tallboy he thought the headline was a bit hot. And Mr. Tallboy said he had a nasty mind.

*2009 , Okera H, Be Your Priority, Not His Option , Mill City Press 2009, p. 45:

*:We want threesomes, blowjobs, and orgies. That's just the way it is. We want the good girl who's nasty in bed.

Spiteful, unkind.

*2012 , The Guardian , 3 Jun 2012:

*:She had said: "I love the block button on Twitter. I don't know how people expect to send a nasty comment and not get blocked."

*2007 , The Observer , 5 Aug 2007:

*:There was a nasty period during the First World War when the family's allegiance was called into question - not least because one of the Schroders had been made a baron by the Kaiser.

*2012 , James Ball, The Guardian , 2 Mar 2012:

*:Moving into the middle ages, William the Conqueror managed to rout the English and rule the country, then see off numerous plots and assassination attempts, before his horse did for him in a nasty fall, killing him at 60.