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profligate

1 of 2

adjective

prof·​li·​gate ˈprä-fli-gət How to pronounce profligate (audio)
-ˌgāt
1
: wildly extravagant
profligate spending
2
: completely given up to dissipation and licentiousness : shamelessly immoral
leading a profligate life
profligately adverb

profligate

2 of 2

noun

prof·​li·​gate ˈprä-fli-gət How to pronounce profligate (audio)
-ˌgāt
: a person given to wildly extravagant and usually grossly self-indulgent expenditure

Did you know?

Don't Get Overwhelmed by the History of Profligate

When a royal record keeper reported the "profligation of the knights" almost five centuries ago, he didn't mean the knights were wildly indulging in excesses; he meant they were thoroughly defeated in battle. There's nothing etymologically extreme there; the Latin verb profligare, which is the root of both profligate and the much rarer profligation (meaning "ruin"), means "to strike down," "to destroy," or "to overwhelm." When the adjective profligate first appeared in print in English it meant "overthrown" or "overwhelmed," (a sense that is now obsolete) but over time the word's meaning shifted to "immoral" or "wildly extravagant."

Example Sentences

Adjective In a curious way, part of the genius of America has been a collective forgetfulness, a talent for somehow outdistancing problems in a headlong race toward something new. It is a form of heedlessness, perhaps, blithe and profligate, but also an exuberant forward spin that may spare people the exhausting obligations of revenge. Lance Morrow, Time, 4 Apr. 1988 Sure, the trade deficit symbolizes a profligate America, consuming more than it produces and spending more than it has. Philip Revzin, Wall Street Journal, 17 Mar. 17, 1988 Everyone seemed fond of statistics, but the counterterrorism experts were especially profligate with numbers. Kurt Andersen, Time, 24 June 1985 She was very profligate in her spending. profligate movie producers hoping to create the next blockbuster Noun "Why did you ask that scoundrel, Rawdon Crawley, to dine?" said the Rector to his lady, as they were walking home through the park. "I don't want the fellow. He looks down upon us country people as so many blackamoors.  … Besides, he's such an infernal character—he's a gambler—he's a drunkard—he's a profligate in every way." William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, 1848 a profligate who could not really afford the grand style he maintained at Monticello, Jefferson died deeply in debt a drunken profligate, he was given to wretched excess in every aspect of his life See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
His career-long master plot was ruin through overreach: an impractical and imprudent and profligate greatness. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 July 2022 Depp is far from the only star who has behaved in an entitled, boorish or profligate manner. Brent Lang, Variety, 31 May 2022 Brown cops to becoming a profligate spender in a company full of them, which brings us to one of the many economics lessons within his book. John Tamny, Forbes, 18 May 2022 But outside estimates suggest the bill would not cement a giant tax increase or result in profligate federal spending. Jim Tankersley, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2022 In their estimation, the fiscally prudent northerners would never agree to rescue all their profligate neighbors in the south with fiscal transfers. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 21 July 2022 Part of the problem was that a fireplace was a profligate way to heat a house, since so much heat vanished up the chimney. Clive Thompson, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 July 2022 There’s no real need locally to cut back on water for now, but even normal use could be seen as profligate as other areas face restrictions. Michael Smolenscolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2022 The author, a profligate spender and dapper dresser, relinquished the valuable to his tailor as payment. Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2022
Noun
In retrospect, such escapades may strike one as profligate. New York Times, 24 Mar. 2022 After years of profligate spending, the city had dwindling tax revenues and huge budget deficits; was low on cash for operating expenses; and, unable to borrow more, faced horrendous personnel layoffs, service cuts and bond defaults. New York Times, 5 Jan. 2022 Still, Republicans have slammed Democrats for profligate spending since retaking the majority, decrying the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief measure passed in March and the possible passage of the Build Back Better Act. Grace Segers, The New Republic, 15 Dec. 2021 In 1911, the two retired to Daytona Beach, Florida, and passed the financial reins to their son William, who would soon grow into a profligate playboy. Michael Ames, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2021 The house can afford profligate spending, of course, because LVMH is controlled by the Arnault family, which is far more patient than Wall Street fund managers. Christina Binkley, Robb Report, 27 Nov. 2021 It’s a fraught debate, draped by the legacy of profligate prescribing. Andrew Joseph, STAT, 25 Nov. 2021 The massive spending package has been criticized by Republicans for being profligate while some left-wing Democrats have argued the bill doesn’t go far enough. Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 7 Aug. 2021 Moreover, a flat, across-the-board increase in the federal Medicaid reimbursement percentage helps richer states that have created profligate Medicaid programs at the expense of poorer states and states with more efficient Medicaid programs. Brian Blase, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2021 See More

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Latin profligatus, from past participle of profligare to strike down, from pro- forward, down + -fligare (akin to fligere to strike); akin to Greek phlibein to squeeze

First Known Use

Adjective

1617, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1709, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of profligate was in 1617

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