libertine

American  

[lib-er-teen, -tin] / ˈlɪb ərˌtin, -tɪn /

noun

1. a person who is morally or sexually unrestrained, especially a dissolute man; a profligate; rake.

   Synonyms:

   sensualist, lecher, debauchee, roué

   Antonyms:

   prude

2. a freethinker in religious matters.

3. a person freed from slavery in ancient Rome.

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adjective

1. free of moral, especially sexual, restraint; dissolute; licentious.

   Synonyms:

   lewd, lascivious, sensual, amoral

2. freethinking in religious matters.

3. Archaic. unrestrained; uncontrolled.

libertine British  

/ ˈlɪbəˌtiːn, -ˌtaɪn /

noun

1. a morally dissolute person

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adjective

1. morally dissolute

Other Word Forms

• libertinage noun

Etymology

Origin of libertine

1350–1400; Middle English libertyn < Latin lībertīnus of a freedman (adj.), freedman (noun), equivalent to lībert ( us ) freedman (apparently by reanalysis of liber-tās liberty as libert-ās ) + -īnus -ine ¹

Example Sentences

As a native New Yorker, Lauren would have seen California’s well-manicured image of libertine paradise often.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2022

They also tend to have extravagant, libertine tastes in fashion and entertainment, the pleasures we fantasize about and forgo when budgets are strained.

From Salon • Oct. 23, 2022

Along with the wine recommendations and sketches of vintners and varietals are vivid portraits of headstrong Ethel, Ms. Feiring’s libertine father, Philip, and her beloved brother, Andrew.

From New York Times • Aug. 20, 2022

While Mr. O’Rourke cultivated a persona as a hot-tempered libertine, “he was a deeply kind and generous man who pretended to be a curmudgeon for public consumption,” “Wait Wait” host Peter Sagal wrote on Twitter.

From Washington Post • Feb. 16, 2022

The transition from libertine to prig was so complete.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald