profligacy

noun

prof·​li·​ga·​cy ˈprä-fli-gə-sē How to pronounce profligacy (audio)
: the quality or state of being profligate

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 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of profligacy was in 1738

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.

Kids Definition

profligacy

noun
prof·​li·​ga·​cy ˈpräf-li-gə-sē How to pronounce profligacy (audio)
: the quality or state of being profligate

More from Merriam-Webster on profligacy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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