improvidence
noun
im·prov·i·dence
(ˌ)im-ˈprä-və-dən(t)s 
-ˌden(t)s
: the quality or state of being improvident
Examples of improvidence in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Two key factors in the SVB disaster can’t be overlooked: The incompetence of the bank’s management and the improvidence of its customers.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2023
Christina Stead gives an unflinching portrait of her own childhood, dominated by improvidence, quarrels and violence—and a crazed, buccaneering idealist of a father who both adores and exploits his ever-increasing brood of children.
—Marina Warner, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022
Some of them cheered for the development of natural resources, and some of them expressed dismay over the waste, improvidence, and disruption that progress unleashed.
—Patty Limerick, The Denver Post, 14 Feb. 2020
In the most spectacular example of improvidence, 54-year-old Larraine blows an entire month’s worth of food stamps on a single meal of lobster tails, shrimp, crab and lemon meringue pie, washed down with Pepsi.
—Barbara Ehrenreich, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2016
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Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2023
Christina Stead gives an unflinching portrait of her own childhood, dominated by improvidence, quarrels and violence—and a crazed, buccaneering idealist of a father who both adores and exploits his ever-increasing brood of children.
—Marina Warner, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022
Some of them cheered for the development of natural resources, and some of them expressed dismay over the waste, improvidence, and disruption that progress unleashed.
—Patty Limerick, The Denver Post, 14 Feb. 2020
In the most spectacular example of improvidence, 54-year-old Larraine blows an entire month’s worth of food stamps on a single meal of lobster tails, shrimp, crab and lemon meringue pie, washed down with Pepsi.
—Barbara Ehrenreich, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2016
Cite this Entry
“Improvidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/improvidence. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
improvidence
noun
im·prov·i·dence
(ˈ)im-ˈpräv-əd-ən(t)s
-ə-ˌden(t)s
: the quality or state of being improvident
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