caution in practical affairs; discretion or circumspection
care taken in the management of one's resources
consideration for one's own interests
the condition or quality of being prudent
Prudence, calculation, foresight, forethought imply attempted provision against possible contingencies. Prudence is care, caution, and good judgment, as well as wisdom in looking ahead: sober prudence in handling one's affairs. Calculation suggests a disposition to get a large return for as small an outlay as possible and willingness to benefit at the expense of others: cold calculation. Foresight implies a prudent looking ahead rather far into the future: clear foresight in planning. Forethought emphasizes the adequacy of preparation for the future: Careful forethought helped him deal with the emergency.
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin prūdentia. See prudent, -ence
Use the noun prudence to describe sensible decisions about everyday life, like the prudence of people who spend their money wisely, saving as much as they can. Prudence can also describe the skill of side-stepping trouble or embarrassment, like having the prudence to avoid risks or the prudence to prepare for the unexpected, like packing a change of clothes in case the weather changes or your dinner reservations turn out to be at a fancy restaurant. Prudence comes from the Latin word prudentia, which means "foresight, sagacity."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dear Prudence fields a letter from “Done With Disney,” a spouse who left a Disney Adult only to find his new partner’s secret obsession is … Harry Potter.
From Slate • Jun. 22, 2026
Prudence chose the former, and the rest chose strife.
From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026
Prudence and upholding the law aren’t mutually exclusive.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
Many acknowledge, though, that it has been an incredibly testing year on the family front - even if Elisabeth, her younger brother, James, and elder half-sister, Prudence, are each around a billion dollars richer.
From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025
Suppose they discovered that Prudence too had disobeyed?
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
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.
