Translation guide
The quality of being deliberate, unprovoked, and often cruel or excessive; lacking restraint or moral concern.
Describing actions that are intentionally cruel, malicious, or done without reason.
General term for malice or ill will; often used for deliberate harmful intent.
彼の行動には悪意があった。
There was malice in his actions.
Adjectival phrase meaning 'malicious' or 'with malice'; commonly used to modify nouns.
それは悪意のある嘘だった。
That was a malicious lie.
Intentionality; often used in legal or formal contexts to indicate deliberate action, not necessarily cruel.
彼は故意に窓を割った。
He deliberately broke the window.
Brutality or cruelty; emphasizes the harshness of the act.
その犯罪は残忍だった。
The crime was brutal.
Describing behavior that is excessive, lacking restraint, especially in a sexual context.
Debauchery or dissipation; implies a life of excessive pleasure-seeking, often with a negative moral judgment.
彼は放蕩の限りを尽くした。
He indulged in every kind of debauchery.
Lewd or indecent; specifically refers to sexual wantonness.
Wild or disorderly conduct; often used for sexual orgies or debauched parties.
Describing actions that seem random, without reason, or unprovoked.
Literally 'without reason'; used to describe unprovoked acts.
彼は理由のない暴力を振るった。
He committed unprovoked violence.
Indiscriminate; often used for random attacks or violence.
無差別殺人事件が起きた。
An indiscriminate killing spree occurred.
Describing a careless or reckless attitude that ignores potential harm.
Recklessness; implies acting without thinking of the dangers.
彼の無謀な運転が事故を引き起こした。
His reckless driving caused the accident.
Foolhardy or daredevil; emphasizes a lack of foresight.
There is no single Japanese word that covers all nuances of 'wantonness'. Choose based on context: malice (悪意), debauchery (放蕩), or recklessness (無謀). Avoid literal translations like 'ワントンネス'.
Lewd acts are not permitted.
彼らは乱行にふけった。
They indulged in wild orgies.
向こう見ずな挑戦だった。
It was a foolhardy challenge.