How to Use wanton in a Sentence

wanton

1 of 3 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
  • Jack and Diane were any number of wanton teens.
    — Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
  • And a country blighted by wanton disorder over the past decade braces for more of the same.
    — Time, 26 July 2023
  • This is not wanton destruction, or some kind of religious war on the world.
    — Mishal Husain, Bloomberg, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Nobody needs to get rid of their preferred tool of wanton destruction.
    — Lucas Daprile, cleveland, 24 July 2023
  • No drunken screaming matches with roommates or wanton drug use.
    — Hilary Elkins, Marie Claire, 14 June 2017
  • 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, 17 Jan. 2020
  • Now go to Apps, and gaze upon what your wanton permissions-granting hath wrought.
    — Brian Barrett, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2018
  • 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
  • Seewright is charged with first-degree assault and wanton endangerment.
    — Thomas Novelly, The Courier-Journal, 9 July 2017
  • And yet this is the type of building that seems always to be in danger of wanton destruction in Chicago.
    — Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
  • As tit-for-tat tariffs spiraled, both countries eased their rhetoric in a bid to avoid wanton economic destruction.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Deffendall said the student will face charges of possessing a weapon on school property and wanton endangerment.
    — Crimesider Staff, CBS News, 9 Mar. 2018
  • Humankind must become accountable on a massive scale for the wanton destruction of our collective home.
    — Jill Gleeson, Country Living, 28 Mar. 2023
  • After the incident, Herald was charged with one count of assault and one count of wanton endangerment.
    — Sarah Brookbank, Cincinnati.com, 25 July 2019
  • Police said the 30-year-old man faces seven counts of wanton endangerment and one count of malicious wounding.
    — Washington Post, 3 Jan. 2020
  • Bush was jailed on $5 million bond Thursday on two counts of murder and 10 counts of felony wanton endangerment.
    — Dylan Lovan, The Seattle Times, 26 Oct. 2018
  • The suspect faces 33 counts of wanton endangerment and possession of a handgun by a minor.
    — Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Where once had stood a dense canopy of three-hundred-year-old trees, forest cover spanning thousands of miles, gave way to charred stumps and bare earth—a landscape of wanton destruction.
    — Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
  • The shooter in that case, William Merideth, was cleared of local charges, including wanton endangerment.
    — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, 1 Jan. 2018
  • Some believe the wanton slaughter produced the unsanitary conditions that triggered the plague.
    — Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2020

wanton

2 of 3 noun
  • How does the prankster in question justify such wanton waste?
    — Amelia Tait, Wired, 28 Dec. 2021
  • Plus, the sinner has been known to wear mirrors on the tops of his shoes for wanton upskirting.
    — Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2021
  • The man was charged with speeding and willful and wanton disregard for safety.
    — cleveland, 25 June 2020
  • Hankison is charged with three counts wanton endangerment and has been fired.
    — Kevin L. Clark, Essence, 24 Feb. 2022
  • His rhetoric, his callousness, his wanton lies all make a compromise harder.
    — Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, 22 June 2018
  • One was indicted on a charge of wanton endangerment and has pleaded not guilty.
    — USA Today, 11 Mar. 2021
  • 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
  • The extremists have left a trail of wanton, sometimes bizarre, destruction.
    — National Geographic, 6 Feb. 2017
  • The man was also charged with speeding and wanton disregard of public safety.
    — John Benson, cleveland, 16 June 2021
  • 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
  • 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
  • He was acquitted on three counts of felony wanton endangerment in connection with the raid.
    — Giselle Rhoden, CNN, 16 Apr. 2022
  • There is a difference between protest, even angry protest, and wanton destruction and looting.
    — Editorial Board, Star Tribune, 12 Apr. 2021
  • 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
  • Parents and teachers concerned about wanton immigration raids and their effect on kids.
    — Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
  • 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
  • He's charged with assault, rioting and wanton endangerment, court records show.
    — Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 2 Sep. 2022
  • 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
  • Hankison was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment; the other officers were not charged.
    — Dylan Lovan, Star Tribune, 11 Nov. 2020
  • First-degree wanton endangerment is a Class D felony, the lowest of four classes of felonies.
    — Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 24 Sep. 2020
  • 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
  • First degree wanton endangerment is a felony that carries between one and five years in prison if Gray is convicted.
    — Josh Wood, Louisville Courier Journal, 8 Oct. 2025
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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 faced three state-level charges of felony wanton endangerment but was acquitted on all three in March.
    — Sonia Moghe, CNN, 4 Aug. 2022
  • On top of murder, he has been charged with assault, driving under the influence and wanton endangerment, among other charges.
    — Ben Tobin, The Courier-Journal, 16 Oct. 2021
  • To Kuznetsov, Babi Yar was a symbol of wanton savagery committed by two murderous regimes.
    — Anatoly Kuznetsov, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
  • That charge was later dropped to operating a vehicle with wanton disregard, for which he was fined $250.
    — Sharon Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Jan. 2025
  • 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

wanton

3 of 3 verb
  • The fact that the bulk of the game is about wanton joyous destruction is also another big bonus.
    — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
  • As tit-for-tat tariffs spiraled, both countries eased their rhetoric in a bid to avoid wanton economic destruction.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
  • The problem with the plan was fratricide, among other wanton cellular murders.
    — Jason Mast, STAT, 31 Aug. 2023
  • Mayhem, carnage, smash-ups and wanton destruction ensue — and that’s just in the first 10 minutes.
    — Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 17 May 2023
  • First degree wanton endangerment is a felony that carries between one and five years in prison if Gray is convicted.
    — Josh Wood, Louisville Courier Journal, 8 Oct. 2025
  • All of the attacks were wanton, aimed at destruction of the cultural and artistic heritage of humanity.
    — David J. Wasserstein, The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2020
  • Michael Moore, 41, was arrested and charged with arson and wanton endangerment.
    — Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 28 Nov. 2024
  • The club’s spending has been considerable, but hardly wanton by the bloated standards of the Premier League.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2023
  • Hankison faced the federal charges after he was acquitted last year by a state jury for three felony wanton endangerment charges stemming from the raid.
    — Russell Contreras, Axios, 2 Nov. 2024
  • Everyone is a guinea pig in an unguided and wanton impactful experiment.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • Brett Hankison, an officer who fired shots but didn’t hit anybody during the raid, was found not guilty by a jury of wanton endangerment charges.
    — Dylan Lovan, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Apr. 2023
  • The driver was also arrested on suspicion of evading arrest and wanton disregard for safety, police said.
    — Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025
  • The federal charges against Hankison were brought three months after a jury acquitted him of state wanton endangerment charges.
    — Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 16 Nov. 2023
  • Segall’s signature guitar fuzz freezes over on this January record, revealing a crystallized vision of the wacky, wanton future of punk.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 5 May 2023
  • The rest of their daily lives, full of internal politics and wanton bloodshed, are packaged as episodic reality television.
    — Giri Nathan, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2023
  • Hankison faced state charges of felony wanton endangerment in 2020, but was later acquitted.
    — Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
  • There are exclusions for criminal offenses, gross negligence and willful or wanton misconduct, but those cases are rare and much more difficult to prove.
    — Kristine Phillips, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Apr. 2023
  • Leonard Pitchford, 37, is charged with first degree wanton endangerment and third degree use of a weapon of mass destruction, Schroeder said.
    — Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal, 20 June 2025
  • Both face multiple charges, including murder, assault and wanton endangerment.
    — Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 23 Sep. 2024
  • Patel is charged with complicity to kidnapping, assault and wanton endangerment.
    — David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
  • The driver was also cited for speeding, willful wanton disregard for safety, drug abuse, possession of drug paraphernalia and open container.
    — John Benson, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
  • Working as a lab tech with a master’s in chemistry, she’s dismissed by the White men running the place, having had her academic career derailed before that by even more wanton sexism at the university.
    — Brian Lowry, CNN, 13 Oct. 2023
  • The rise of Walmart also led to cheaper disposable products and wanton consumerism that led to massive criticism from environmentalists.
    — Saleem H. Ali, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • The negligence, gross negligence, and the reckless, outrageous, willful and wanton conduct of the Defendants caused this devastating tragedy, and they must be held liable.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 5 June 2023
  • Those counts include complicity to murder, wanton endangerment and tampering with evidence.
    — Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 7 Sep. 2023
  • In Ecuador, drug gangs are using extortion and wanton violence to make the country one of the world’s most violent, contributing to an unprecedented exodus of ordinary citizens.
    — Paul J. Angelo, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2024
  • Addison Brown, 22, is charged with arson, wanton endangerment and murder-domestic violence, according to court records.
    — Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Fighting worker exploitation and prosecuting wanton wage theft offenders must be a priority for attorneys general everywhere.
    — William C. Sproule, Baltimore Sun, 14 Nov. 2024
  • Morris faces several charges from Bellevue police, including burglary, criminal mischief, wanton endangerment, fleeing and evading, among others.
    — David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Mar. 2025
  • While Hankison was convicted of three counts of felony wanton endangerment for blindly firing 10 shots into her home, the DOJ is arguing that he wasn’t convicted of killing her.
    — Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 17 July 2025

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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