Libertine

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈlɪb.É™.tiːn/
• US IPA: /ˈlɪb.Éš.tin/

Origin

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.

Full definition of libertine

Noun

1. (historical) Someone freed from slavery in Ancient Rome; a freedman.
2. One who is freethinking in religious matters.
3. Someone (especially a man) who takes no notice of moral laws, especially those involving sexual propriety; someone loose in morals; a pleasure-seeker.
• 2007, Choderlos de Laclos, Dangerous Liaisons, tr. Helen Constantine, Penguin 2007, p. 123,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.

Synonyms

Related terms

• liberate
• liberal
• liberty

Adjective

1. Dissolute, licentious, profligate; loose in morals.

Related terms

• libertinism
• libertinage