prudent

[prood-nt]

adjective

1. wise or judicious in practical affairs; discreet or circumspect; sagacious; sober.

   Synonyms: careful, cautious, sensible

2. careful in providing for the future; provident.

   a prudent decision.

   Synonyms: frugal, thrifty, economical

prudent

/ ˈpruːdənt /

adjective

1. discreet or cautious in managing one's activities; circumspect

2. practical and careful in providing for the future

3. exercising good judgment or common sense

Other Word Forms

• prudently adverb
• nonprudent adjective
• preprudent adjective
• superprudent adjective
• unprudent adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prudent¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin prūdent- (stem of prūdēns ), contraction of prōvidēns provident

Word History and Origins

Origin of prudent¹

C14: from Latin prūdēns far-sighted, contraction of prōvidens acting with foresight; see _provident

Example Sentences

It turned out that the calculations McRoberts used in his day job could also predict prudent courses of action for football teams.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Given the level of concentration that we have in the S&P 500, that seems prudent. The AI trade is a freight train,” he told Barron’s.

Read more on Barron's

A better response is to indulge them, while setting prudent limits.

Read more on MarketWatch

Employers say that offer "clearly does not reflect the true value employers place on staff", but that it is the "only prudent option" given the scale of the financial challenge facing the higher education sector.

Read more on BBC

In his announcement, Bessent said the international community was "unified behind Argentina and its prudent fiscal strategy, but only the United States can act swiftly. And act we will."

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Related Words

• careful 
• cautious 
• discreet 
• economical 
• frugal 
• judicious 
• reasonable 
• sane 
• shrewd 
• vigilant