Done deliberately and carelessly without any good reason; recklessly or cruelly.
From 'wanton' (uncontrolled, unchaste) plus '-ly' suffix. 'Wanton' comes from Middle English meaning 'undisciplined,' possibly from 'wan-' (lacking) plus 'togen' (drawn).
Medieval writers used 'wanton' to describe uncontrolled desires and wild nature—now we use it for destruction like 'wantonly destroying property,' capturing chaos in a single word.
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