prudential

[ proo-den-shuh l ]

/ pruˈdɛn ʃəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prudential ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, pertaining to, characterized by, or resulting from prudence.

exercising prudence.

having discretionary or advisory authority, as in business matters.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of prudential

1635–45; < Latin prūdenti(a) prudence + -al¹

Related forms

pru·den·tial·ly, adverbpru·den·tial·ness, pru·den·ti·al·i·ty

[proo-den-shee-al-i-tee] /pruˌdɛn ʃiˈæl ɪ ti/, nounnon·pru·den·tial, adjectivenon·pru·den·tial·ly, adverb

un·pru·den·tial, adjectiveun·pru·den·tial·ly, adverb

Can be confusedprudent prudential

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for prudential

Messina walked into the empty offices in the Prudential building in March 2011 with a single box of personal items.
No Drama Obama’s Dramatic 2012 Reelection Campaign|Richard Wolffe|September 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Instead, they fought by proxy, like cold war superpowers trapped inside the so-called Prudential building.
No Drama Obama’s Dramatic 2012 Reelection Campaign|Richard Wolffe|September 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Eisenhower was a prudential, common sense Republican, who loathed extremism and arrogant ignorance.
The Republicans Are Now the Stupid Party|Jeffrey Hart|November 6, 2008|DAILY BEAST
The misery check, as Malthus called all those influences that are not prudential, is an ugly phrase not fully justified.
Inquiries into Human Faculty and Its Development|Francis Galton

Would he defend the prudential committee, or would he declare for the teacher?
Coniston, Complete|Winston Churchill
He will appeal to the prudential motive, by showing that want of cleanliness breeds disease.
The Moral Instruction of Children|Felix Adler
Prudential considerations have a just, though not exclusive, claim to Miss Delamere's attention.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)|Maria Edgeworth
From prudential as well as political motives, she was at first easily persuaded to repress her desire.
The Secret Memoirs of Louis XV./XVI, Complete|Madame du Hausset, an "Unknown English Girl" and the Princess Lamballe

British Dictionary definitions for prudential

prudential

/ (pruːˈdɛnʃəl) /

adjective

characterized by or resulting from prudence

exercising prudence or sound judgment

Derived Formsprudentially, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for prudential

prudential

adj.

mid-15c., from Medieval Latin prudentialis, from Latin prudentia "a foreseeing, foresight" (see prudence). Related: Prudentially. Prudential, the U.S. insurance company, dates to the 1870s; its logo featuring the Rock of Gibraltar dates from c.1900 and was widely known 20c.