Meanings
libertine1
plural libertines
- historicalSomeone freed from slavery in Ancient Rome; a freedman.
libertine2
plural libertines
- One who is freethinking in religious matters.
- Someone (especially a man) who takes no notice of moral laws, especially those involving sexual propriety; someone loose in morals; a pleasure-seeker.
So the truth of the matter is that a libertine in love, if indeed a libertine can be in love, becomes from that moment in less of a hurry to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh.
2007, Choderlos de Laclos, translated by Helen Constantine, Dangerous Liaisons, Penguin, page 123
comparative more libertine · superlative most libertine
- Dissolute, licentious, profligate; loose in morals.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveunrestrained by convention or morality
nouna dissolute person; usually a man who is morally unrestrained
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
libertine · noun
- Latinlibertinus“a freedman, prop. adj., of or belonging to the condition of a freedman”
- Englishlibertine
From Latin libertinus (“a freedman, prop. adj., of or belonging to the condition of a freedman”), from libertus (“a freedman”), from liber (“free”); see liberal, liberate.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →libertine · noun, adjective
- Frenchlibertin
- Englishlibertine
From French libertin.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian свободомислещ, развратник
- свободомислещ (svobodomislešt)one who is freethinking in religious matters
- развратник (razvratnik)someone loose in morals
- разпуснат (razpusnat)loose in morals
- безнравствен (beznravstven)loose in morals
Catalan calavera
- calaverasomeone loose in morals
Czech volnomyšlenkář, libertin
- volnomyšlenkářone who is freethinking in religious matters
- libertinone who is freethinking in religious matters
- zhýralecsomeone loose in morals
- nemravasomeone loose in morals
- zpustlíksomeone loose in morals
Dutch vrijdenker, libertijn
- vrijdenkerone who is freethinking in religious matters
- libertijnone who is freethinking in religious matters
Esperanto cinika
- cinikaloose in morals
Italian libertino, antidogmatico
- libertinoone who is freethinking in religious matters
- antidogmaticoone who is freethinking in religious matters
- liberaleone who is freethinking in religious matters
- libertinosomeone loose in morals
- libertinoloose in morals
Polish libertyn, libertyn
- libertynone who is freethinking in religious matters
- libertynsomeone loose in morals
Portuguese libertino, libertino
- libertinosomeone loose in morals
- libertinoloose in morals
Romanian libertin
- libertinone who is freethinking in religious matters
Russian распу́тник, развра́тник
- распу́тник (raspútnik)someone loose in morals
- развра́тник (razvrátnik)someone loose in morals
Spanish libertino, crápula
- libertinosomeone loose in morals
- crápulasomeone loose in morals
- calaverasomeone loose in morals
- libertinoloose in morals
Swedish fritänkare, vällusting
- fritänkareone who is freethinking in religious matters
- vällustingsomeone loose in morals
- libertinsomeone loose in morals
- hedonistsomeone loose in morals
Vietnamese phóng đãng
- phóng đãngsomeone loose in morals
Welsh libertiniad
- libertiniadsomeone loose in morals
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
libertine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/libertine
“libertine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/libertine. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “libertine,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/libertine.
Source: libertine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.