imprudent
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- imprudence noun
- imprudently adverb
Etymology
Origin of imprudent
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin imprūdent- (stem of imprūdēns ) “unforeseeing, rash”; im- 2, prudent
Explanation
To be imprudent means lacking self-restraint when it would be wise to have it, like that time you started dancing on the table during a math test. Remember that? Everybody else does. Prudent means "wise or shrewd," but add the prefix im- meaning "not," suddenly you have an adjective that describes the opposite of being wise or shrewd. An imprudent person doesn't think about the consequences and might cross the street without looking both ways or use a curling iron while taking a bath. Careless, wild, imprudent behavior can get you into big trouble!
Vocabulary lists containing imprudent
Night
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"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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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.
Many countries, he noted, "failed to capitalise" on similar opportunities or "squandered them in the face of global shocks and imprudent policies".
From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026
The company says the maximum it may have to pay under the law if it is found to be imprudent is $4 billion.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026
That isn’t “some pie-in-the-sky idea,” but it would be imprudent.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025
It seems imprudent, even impolite, not to advise against joining the herd.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 20, 2025
Arobin was not needlessly imprudent But they ate and they drank when they regained Edna’s little dining room— which was comparatively early in the evening.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
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.
