selfishly as one pleases; willfully as one pleases
Describes acting entirely according to one's own desires without regard for others. Often used in negative contexts.
He behaves as selfishly as he pleases, causing trouble for those around him.
Sometimes it's necessary to live as freely as one pleases.
気まま means 'self-indulgent' or 'doing as one likes' without the intensifying 放題 (as much as one wants). 気まま放題 emphasizes unrestrained selfishness.
放題 is a suffix meaning 'as much as one wants'. Combined with 気まま, it intensifies the sense of unrestrained self-indulgence.
Standard kanji spelling.
Rare variant using 儘 instead of まま.
Compound of 気まま (selfish, willful) and 放題 (as much as one likes). The exact historical derivation is uncertain.