profligacy
Americannoun
-
shameless dissoluteness.
-
reckless extravagance.
-
great abundance.
Etymology
Origin of profligacy
First recorded in 1730–40; proflig(ate) + -acy
Explanation
If your life is built on the search for reckless, sensual pleasure with no thought of possible consequences, then you are living a life of profligacy, and probably spending a lot of money to get it. How wasteful! The idea of a loose, dissipated life, is seen in the noun profligacy, which comes from the Latin prōflīgātus, meaning "corrupt or dissolute." It's been said Americans live in a state of profligacy with regard to petroleum use, wasting it in the manufacture of everything from water bottles to nail polish to traffic cones. Someday this profligacy will catch up to us, however. With rising gasoline prices, perhaps it already has!
Vocabulary lists containing profligacy
Power Suffix: -acy
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Oliver Twist
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Profligacy, as well as mental fragility, was a work-on, as they say.
From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026
Profligacy was an issue yet again here, with Willy Caballero unconvincing – at set-plays in particular – as he deputised for Thibaut Courtois.
From The Guardian • Jan. 20, 2018
Profligacy ebbed and flowed with the economic and political tides.
From BusinessWeek • Mar. 31, 2011
Profligacy was arguably their only annoyance on Saturday, when Wolves might have been dismissed by a cricket score, only for Wayne Hennessey's excellence to maintain the visitors' vague interest.
From The Guardian • Feb. 14, 2011
Profligacy," says Emerson, "consists not in spending, but in spending off the line of your career.
From The Call of the Twentieth Century An Address to Young Men by Jordan, David Starr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
