Synonyms
Examples of profligacy in a Sentence
a religious leader who railed against the profligacy of the nation's decadent aristocrats
Recent Examples on the Web
The company’s $9 billion valuation in an October 2021 deal — one of the biggest mergers by enterprise value at the time — exemplified the profligacy of a near-zero interest rate environment.
—
Bailey Lipschultz, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2023
Some recent scholarship has challenged Nero’s reputation for profligacy, suggesting that he was portrayed by ancient historians as a villain, accused of playing a lyre while Rome burned in A.D. 64.
—Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 30 July 2023
That strange, reckless profligacy made Barb think of their mother, who in her final years sat at home, saying yes to every sales phone call.
—Robert Kolker, New York Times, 20 July 2023
After years of being criticized for profligacy, and decades of agglomerating processes, IFIs are incredibly bureaucratic, demanding enormous amounts of data.
—WIRED, 10 July 2023
All of this underscores the degree to which crypto culture has grown and become more diverse since the libertarian Satoshi published his famous white paper in 2008, and soon after embedded a warning about central bank profligacy in the first block of Bitcoin.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 3 Mar. 2023
Biden’s profligacy with federal spending exacerbated the runaway inflation of his first term, which has yet to be fully tamed.
—The Editors, National Review, 25 Apr. 2023
Alexander Isak also hit the post with a header and Newcastle paid for its profligacy when Gabriel Martinelli's cross was diverted into his own net by Schar.
—Steve Douglas, ajc, 7 May 2023
Against that sort of consumption rate, Ukraine’s recent request for a million or so 155 mm shells, on top of the million rounds already dontated, suggests efficient use rather than some sort of irresponsible profligacy.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023
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Bailey Lipschultz, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2023
Some recent scholarship has challenged Nero’s reputation for profligacy, suggesting that he was portrayed by ancient historians as a villain, accused of playing a lyre while Rome burned in A.D. 64.
—Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 30 July 2023
That strange, reckless profligacy made Barb think of their mother, who in her final years sat at home, saying yes to every sales phone call.
—Robert Kolker, New York Times, 20 July 2023
After years of being criticized for profligacy, and decades of agglomerating processes, IFIs are incredibly bureaucratic, demanding enormous amounts of data.
—WIRED, 10 July 2023
All of this underscores the degree to which crypto culture has grown and become more diverse since the libertarian Satoshi published his famous white paper in 2008, and soon after embedded a warning about central bank profligacy in the first block of Bitcoin.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 3 Mar. 2023
Biden’s profligacy with federal spending exacerbated the runaway inflation of his first term, which has yet to be fully tamed.
—The Editors, National Review, 25 Apr. 2023
Alexander Isak also hit the post with a header and Newcastle paid for its profligacy when Gabriel Martinelli's cross was diverted into his own net by Schar.
—Steve Douglas, ajc, 7 May 2023
Against that sort of consumption rate, Ukraine’s recent request for a million or so 155 mm shells, on top of the million rounds already dontated, suggests efficient use rather than some sort of irresponsible profligacy.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'profligacy.' 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
1738, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to profligacy
Dictionary Entries Near profligacy
Cite this Entry
“Profligacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profligacy. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
profligacy
noun
prof·li·ga·cy
ˈpräf-li-gə-sē 
: the quality or state of being profligate
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