spendthrift

[spend-thrift]

See more synonyms for spendthrift on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; prodigal.

adjective

wastefully extravagant; prodigal.

Origin of spendthrift

First recorded in 1595–1605; spend + thrift

Synonyms

See more synonyms for spendthrift on Thesaurus.com

2. wasteful, improvident, profligate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for spendthrift

Contemporary Examples

“We are, both you and I, equally thoughtless, spendthrift and extravagant … We are damned poor,” he wrote her in 1898.
This Week’s Hot Reads: May 29, 2012
Jimmy So
May 29, 2012
Despite all this, Andrew still allows the spendthrift Fergie, NFI at the Royal Wedding, to live with him when she is England.
Intrigue and Plot Over Andrew's Indian Visit
Tom Sykes
May 1, 2012
If this is a pinchpenny conservative, what is a spendthrift liberal?
How Obama Can Buy Off Mitch McConnell
John Batchelor
January 11, 2009

Historical Examples

He had acquired this from his mother's teachings and his father's spendthrift ways.
The Boy Life of Napoleon
Eugenie Foa
The three distinguished characters were a spendthrift, a bailiff, and a dun.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
In his youth he was a spendthrift and paid no heed to his property.
The Chinese Fairy Book
Various
As you say, he seemed to be a ruler, but was only a spendthrift.
The Republic
Plato
Even then, his style should not be the spendthrift waste they say he is fond of.
Sir Jasper Carew
Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for spendthrift

spendthrift

noun

a person who spends money in an extravagant manner

adjective

(usually prenominal) of or like a spendthriftspendthrift economies

Word Origin

C17: from spend + thrift

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 spendthrift

n.

c.1600, from spend + thrift in sense of "savings, profits, wealth." Replaced earlier scattergood (1570s) and spend-all (1550s).

spendthrift

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}spendthrift

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for spendthrift

Contemporary Examples

“We are, both you and I, equally thoughtless, spendthrift and extravagant … We are damned poor,” he wrote her in 1898.

Despite all this, Andrew still allows the spendthrift Fergie, NFI at the Royal Wedding, to live with him when she is England.

If this is a pinchpenny conservative, what is a spendthrift liberal?

Historical Examples

He had acquired this from his mother's teachings and his father's spendthrift ways.

The three distinguished characters were a spendthrift, a bailiff, and a dun.

In his youth he was a spendthrift and paid no heed to his property.

As you say, he seemed to be a ruler, but was only a spendthrift.

Even then, his style should not be the spendthrift waste they say he is fond of.

spendthrift

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for spendthrift

n.

Origin of spendthrift