adjective
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discreet or cautious in managing one's activities; circumspect
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practical and careful in providing for the future
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exercising good judgment or common sense
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of prudent
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin prūdent- (stem of prūdēns ), contraction of prōvidēns provident
Explanation
Describe an action as prudent if it is the wise thing to do under the existing circumstances. If you're getting in trouble, it is probably prudent to keep your mouth closed and just listen. If you show good and careful judgment when handling practical matters, you can be described as prudent. Similarly, a wise and well-thought-through decision or action can be called prudent. The word comes from a contracted form of the Latin prōvidēns, from the verb "to foresee." The English word provident, "wise in planning for the future," is the non-contracted descendent of the same Latin root.
Vocabulary lists containing prudent
100 Top "SAT" Words
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The Hobbit
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Grade 10, List 4
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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.
Take that dichotomy between the self-importance running like a virus through young men and the prudent actions taken by The Cornell Daily Sun staff.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
Many governments look more prudent than the U.S. right now, but aging workforces and anemic growth mean debts look scary, even with a lift from AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
“While we continue to navigate some challenging dynamics, we are taking a prudent approach with our revised full-year outlook,” Meghan Frank, Lululemon’s interim co-CEO and chief financial officer, said in the company’s earnings release.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
For instance, he called wood products “a big part of our climate strategy in the built environment” and suggested it still would be prudent to understand how they’re produced in California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Brainy committees are continually evaluating the effectiveness and cost of doing various things in space, defense, energy, transportation, and the like, to give advice about prudent investments for the future.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
