profligate
Americanadjective
-
utterly and shamelessly immoral or dissipated; thoroughly dissolute.
- Synonyms:
- licentious, abandoned
-
recklessly prodigal or extravagant.
noun
adjective
-
shamelessly immoral or debauched
-
wildly extravagant or wasteful
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of profligate
1525–35; < Latin prōflīgātus broken down in character, degraded, originally past participle of prōflīgāre to shatter, debase, equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + -flīgāre, derivative of flīgere to strike; see inflict, -ate 1
Explanation
Profligate, as a noun or as an adjective, implies recklessly wasting your money on extravagant luxury. Profligate behavior is a lot of fun, but you'll regret it later — when you get your charge card bill. Any time someone behaves in a reckless, amoral, or wasteful way, they are engaging in profligate behavior. It usually refers to financial behavior but can cross over to social activity as well. A person who is a slave to their cravings and whose behavior is unrestrained and selfish can be called a profligate. Extravagantly profligate behavior is often wildly fun but usually comes with a heavy price to pay in the morning, both financially and morally.
Vocabulary lists containing profligate
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Grade 12, List 3
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The Importance of Being Earnest
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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.
Profligate fundraising and investment has operated on the assumption that money would be cheap, allowing it to make increasingly exotic bets.
From Slate • Mar. 13, 2023
Profligate spending, of course, long has been as much a part of college sports as pep bands and coaches’ polls.
From Washington Post • May 12, 2022
Profligate users were ferreted out from public records and, if they could be identified, shamed.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2021
Profligate spending at the General Services Administration doesn’t hurt Romney’s campaign, either.
From Slate • Apr. 4, 2012
Profligate men may scoff at it, and make a jest of those who use it.
From Practical Religion Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing Christians by Ryle, John Charles
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.
