spendthrift

1 of 2

noun

spend·​thrift ˈspen(d)-ˌthrift How to pronounce spendthrift (audio)
plural spendthrifts
: a person who spends improvidently or wastefully

spendthrift

2 of 2

adjective

: given to spending money freely or foolishly : wasteful with money
In advanced economies, austerity rules, with the wealthiest nations promising to mend their spendthrift ways.Daniel Gross
As spendthrift baby boomers retire, they will endeavor to turn their meager savings into maximum retirement income.Jonathan Clements
In newspaper op-eds, on television talk shows and at a recent hearing on Capitol Hill, critics have assailed public broadcasting as elitist, spendthrift and irrelevant in the cable era.Betsy Carpenter

Did you know?

One sense of thrift is "careful management especially of money," and spendthrift was coined in the late 16th century to refer to someone who recklessly flouts such efforts. Synonyms of spendthrift include prodigal, waster, and wastrel. Prodigal also has the suggestion of such enthusiastic waste that it would deplete even the most lavish resources, whereas both waster and wastrel imply that in addition to wastefulness, the person has such dramatic character flaws as to be a good-for-nothing and a drain upon the community.

Examples of spendthrift in a Sentence

Noun the spendthrift managed to blow all of his inheritance in a single year
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Major storms could surface if one partner is a spendthrift and the other is a miser. Bruce Helmer and Peg Webb, Twin Cities, 3 Feb. 2024 The women who raised Churchill and Roosevelt were strikingly different: one a gorgeous spendthrift, the other a dignified matriarch. Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 4 Sep. 2023 Chantel Chapman, a 40-year-old entrepreneur in Richmond, British Columbia, was once a spendthrift in this way. Juli Fraga, New York Times, 5 July 2023 Here’s what typically happens to spendthrifts who clear their debt. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2023 The 1999 book Final Cut — an account of the making of the $44 million Heaven’s Gate by United Artists executive Steven Bach — also cemented Cimino’s reputation as an irresponsible spendthrift. Gregg Kilday, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2022
Adjective
Those could have been used to constrain distributions to or for the benefit of the spendthrift child. Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spendthrift.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1584, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1607, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spendthrift was in 1584

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near spendthrift

Cite this Entry

“Spendthrift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spendthrift. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

spendthrift

noun
spend·​thrift ˈspen(d)-ˌthrift How to pronounce spendthrift (audio)
: one who spends wastefully
spendthrift adjective

Legal Definition

spendthrift

1 of 2 noun
spend·​thrift ˈspend-ˌthrift How to pronounce spendthrift (audio)
: a person who spends money foolishly, profusely, or wastefully

spendthrift

2 of 2 adjective
1
: of, relating to, or being a spendthrift
2
: of or relating to a spendthrift trust

More from Merriam-Webster on spendthrift

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!