as in wasteful
given to spending money freely or foolishly
profligate movie producers hoping to create the next blockbuster
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in spendthrift
someone who spends money freely or foolishly
a profligate who could not really afford the grand style he maintained at Monticello, Jefferson died deeply in debt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in degenerate
a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard
a drunken profligate, he was given to wretched excess in every aspect of his life
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of profligate
Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2025
Apple is less profligate than its rivals in terms of capital expenditures.
—Jonathan Vanian,jordan Novet,lora Kolodny,kif Leswing, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for profligate
Adjective
Its only purpose is to raise money because the state cannot control its profligate spending.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2025
Apple is less profligate than its rivals in terms of capital expenditures.
—Jonathan Vanian,jordan Novet,lora Kolodny,kif Leswing, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2025
Noun
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
See All Example Sentences for profligate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profligate
Adjective
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DeSantis announced the new agency in February to expose and eliminate what officials deem wasteful spending by state agencies, colleges and universities, and local governments.—
Kathryn Varn,
Axios,
8 Apr. 2025
-
This increases your close rates, limits wasteful spending and adds efficiency to the post-sign-up process.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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While small compared to what the RTA has spent on lobbying efforts, the spendthrifts at the CTA don’t put much confidence in how any of the agencies would spend dwindling amounts of Illinois tax dollars if lawmakers hold them back from the looming fiscal precipice.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2025
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Most states allow spendthrift trusts, but some limit the amount of principal that can be protected.—
Bob Carlson,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This 24-hour dive near Uptown is for true degenerates looking to extend the party to unholy hours.—
David Hudnall,
Kansas City Star,
28 Jan. 2025
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At another point, a surface-to-air missile takes out a passenger airliner, something that really happened — but the attack is as purposeless here as the tragic original event, other than to remind us that Valet, who surveys the wreckage for valuables, is a degenerate.—
Boris Fishman,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Ridley, traumatized by the cancer death of her mother and considered mostly a wastrel by those around her for pursuing a degree in the dread-inducing major of art history, knows a thing or two about the mythology behind these kindly rainbow-spewing creatures.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2025
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Henry Muck, suitably nicknamed Prince Hal by his family and friends, may be Industry’s version of the ultimate privileged wastrel.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
27 Aug. 2024
Noun
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Using nature without spiritual belief (which Wicked perverts and so gets defended for its obvious, offensive politics) weakens The Wild Robot as a morality tale.—
Armond White,
National Review,
26 Feb. 2025
-
The days of pandering to perverts and woke PFCs are over.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The food today is extraordinarily good and prodigal.—
Jeff Kleinman,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2025
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The discomforts include not just his recent and possibly expedient diagnosis of bipolar disorder but also the return of the other prodigal, Nazareth.—
Jesse Green,
New York Times,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The movie spent the autumn stepping on rakes: Mortensen uttered the N-word during a Q&A, and the real pianist’s family revealed they had not been consulted on the film.—
Zach Schonfeld,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2025
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Use an artificial turf rake to clean your mat and keep the surface smooth for the best results.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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For example, default settings for focus time added blocking of sites in the categories Shopping, Tabloids, and Time wasters.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
13 Jan. 2025
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Photo: Brown Harris Stevens Above the bedroom is a double-height library, which turns the sloping ceiling behind a mansard roof into a design feature rather than a space waster.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
24 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Profligate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profligate. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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