wantonly

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English

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Etymology

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From Middle English wantounly, wantounliche, equivalent to wanton +‎ -ly.

Adverb

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wantonly (comparative more wantonly, superlative most wantonly)

  1. in a wanton manner.
    • 1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, II.ii:
      Undoubtedly Madam—and it has always been a sentiment of mine—that to propagate a malicious Truth wantonly—is more despicable than to falsify from Revenge []
    • 1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter VII, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. [], volume I, London: [] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC, page 166:
      I believe that I have no enemy on earth, and none surely would have been so wicked as to destroy me wantonly.

See also

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