imprudence

Rarely im·pru·den·cy

[im-prood-ns]

noun

1. lack of wisdom or care in the management of practical or economic affairs.

   Your decisions demonstrate fiscal imprudence and shortsighted thinking.

2. lack of discretion or caution.

   The whistleblower learned of the scheme through the hiring executive's imprudence.

3. disregard for one’s own interests.

   His own imprudence and unreasonable conduct are what caused the second injury.

Word History and Origins

Origin of imprudence¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French, from Latin imprūdentia; in- ³ ( def. ), prudence

Example Sentences

The bus driver may be charged with "reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicides," police told AFP.

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Critics say this "financial imprudence" has drained much of the country's economic resources and created unprecedented levels of debt that have crippled the economy.

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Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said investigators would seek to “determine whether or not there was failure to respect a rule or individual imprudence that led to the explosion.”

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The 2008 banking bailout protected many of the executives whose manifest imprudence created the housing crash that precipitated the financial crisis.

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“The events of these days show the imprudence of not having further diversified our energy sources and our suppliers in the last decades,” he said last week.

Read more on New York Times