adjective
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discreet or cautious in managing one's activities; circumspect
-
practical and careful in providing for the future
-
exercising good judgment or common sense
Other Word Forms
- nonprudent adjective
- preprudent adjective
- prudently adverb
- superprudent adjective
- unprudent adjective
Etymology
Origin of prudent
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin prūdent- (stem of prūdēns ), contraction of prōvidēns provident
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.
A prudent pullback toward the low-to- mid $50s makes sense in the near term.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
If that’s what the dining public is looking for, then I think it would be a prudent thing to make smaller portions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
"Given the epidemiological study that inspired our work, and now our cellular findings, we believe it would be prudent for people to monitor their consumption of non-nutrient-sweeteners such as this one," he said.
From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2026
Looking at its daily chart, losing the 200-day simple moving average is not a crime, as many prudent stops are placed at this long-term secular line.
From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026
I neither wanted to offend the secretaries nor alienate my new colleague, so I settled on what seemed to me the most prudent course of action: I declined to have any tea at all.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
