prudent

[prood-nt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prudent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

careful in providing for the future; provident: a prudent decision.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of prudent

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin prūdent- (stem of prūdēns), contraction of prōvidēns provident

SYNONYMS FOR prudent

1. sensible. 2. economical, thrifty, frugal.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prudent ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

pru·dent·ly, adverbnon·pru·dent, adjectivenon·pru·dent·ly, adverbpre·pru·dent, adjective

pre·pru·dent·ly, adverbsu·per·pru·dent, adjectiveun·pru·dent, adjectiveun·pru·dent·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 prudently

If only other American presidents had acted so prudently before embarking on military endeavors.
Why Obama Should Be Applauded for Consulting Congress on Syria|Aaron Magid|September 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
For this apparently new and shiny one-state bauble is in fact a prudently discarded historical relic.
Back to the One-State Future?|David Dabscheck|June 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
During the Cuban missile crisis of 1963, my father purchased a painting he could not then prudently afford.
My Eulogy for My Father, Murray Frum|David Frum|May 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But instead of prudently adjusting their behavior, they're being bizarrely short-sighted and irresponsible.
Answering a Murray Defender|David Frum|February 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST

When Joan Fontaine wanted to insult Hedda Hopper, she prudently dulled the sting by making herself a target as well.
The Vipers of Tinseltown|Lee Siegel|July 18, 2009|DAILY BEAST
We ourselves in some cases, prudently choose a partial death.
The Life of Benjamin Franklin|Mason Locke Weems
We were immediately enveloped in a thick cloud of smoke, and could see nothing, but prudently beat an instant retreat.
Travels in the Central Parts of Indo-China (Siam), Cambodia, and Laos (Vol. 1 of 2)|Henri Mouhot
Now seyng Cosimus began this reasonyng prudently, Baptiste prudently shall ende it.
Machiavelli, Volume I|Niccol Machiavelli
I couldn't tempt her back to the dangerous subject and soon I prudently ceased to try.
The Heather-Moon|C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson
I played, but prudently, for my capital only consisted of eighteen hundred ducats.
The Memoires of Casanova, Complete|Jacques Casanova de Seingalt

British Dictionary definitions for prudently

prudent

adjective

discreet or cautious in managing one's activities; circumspect

practical and careful in providing for the future

exercising good judgment or common sense

Derived Formsprudently, adverb

Word Origin for prudent

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

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 prudently

prudent

adj.

late 14c., from Old French prudent "with knowledge, deliberate" (c.1300), from Latin prudentem (nominative prudens) "knowing, skilled, sagacious, circumspect;" rarely in literal sense "foreseeing;" contraction of providens, present participle of providere "to foresee" (see provide). Related: Prudently.