profligate

²prof·li·gate

noun \ˈprä-fli-gət, -ˌgāt\

Definition of PROFLIGATE

: a person given to wildly extravagant and usually grossly self-indulgent expenditure

Examples of PROFLIGATE

1. <a profligate who could not really afford the grand style he maintained at Monticello, Jefferson died deeply in debt>
2. <a drunken profligate, he was given to wretched excess in every aspect of his life>
3. “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

Origin of PROFLIGATE

(see ¹profligate)

First Known Use: 1709

Related to PROFLIGATE

Synonyms: fritterer, high roller, prodigal, spender, spendthrift, squanderer, waster, wastrel

Antonyms: economizer, penny-pincher

Related Words: dissipate

Near Antonyms: cheapskate, miser, niggard, piker, scrooge, skinflint, tightwad; conserver, saver

see all synonyms and antonyms

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