profligate

1 of 2

adjective

prof·​li·​gate ˈprä-fli-gət How to pronounce profligate (audio)
-ˌgāt
1
: wildly extravagant
profligate spending
2
: completely given up to dissipation and licentiousness : shamelessly immoral
leading a profligate life
profligately adverb

profligate

2 of 2

noun

prof·​li·​gate ˈprä-fli-gət How to pronounce profligate (audio)
-ˌgāt
: a person given to wildly extravagant and usually grossly self-indulgent expenditure

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Don't Get Overwhelmed by the History of Profligate

When a royal record keeper reported the "profligation of the knights" almost five centuries ago, he didn't mean the knights were wildly indulging in excesses; he meant they were thoroughly defeated in battle. There's nothing etymologically extreme there; the Latin verb profligare, which is the root of both profligate and the much rarer profligation (meaning "ruin"), means "to strike down," "to destroy," or "to overwhelm." When the adjective profligate first appeared in print in English it meant "overthrown" or "overwhelmed," (a sense that is now obsolete) but over time the word's meaning shifted to "immoral" or "wildly extravagant."

Examples of profligate in a Sentence

Adjective In a curious way, part of the genius of America has been a collective forgetfulness, a talent for somehow outdistancing problems in a headlong race toward something new. It is a form of heedlessness, perhaps, blithe and profligate, but also an exuberant forward spin that may spare people the exhausting obligations of revenge. Lance Morrow, Time, 4 Apr. 1988
Sure, the trade deficit symbolizes a profligate America, consuming more than it produces and spending more than it has. Philip Revzin, Wall Street Journal, 17 Mar. 17, 1988
Everyone seemed fond of statistics, but the counterterrorism experts were especially profligate with numbers. Kurt Andersen, Time, 24 June 1985
She was very profligate in her spending. profligate movie producers hoping to create the next blockbuster Noun "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
a profligate who could not really afford the grand style he maintained at Monticello, Jefferson died deeply in debt a drunken profligate, he was given to wretched excess in every aspect of his life
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Young Poong has also criticized what the family says has been profligate spending on non-core investments by Choi. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Asia, 2 Oct. 2024 Threats to ginseng across Appalachia are a legitimate concern, and curbing profligate overharvesting is important. Justine Law, The Conversation, 13 Sep. 2024
Noun
The monarchy and the British government, which provides significant financial support for the institution, have long faced a careful balancing act: Both have worked to maintain the pomp and circumstance of the institution while avoiding looking profligate. WSJ, 14 Sep. 2022 Fed up with the profligate practice, dumpster divers like Ms. Sacks have started posting videos of their haul on TikTok in recent years as a way of shaming corporations and raising awareness of the wasteful behavior. Steven Kurutz, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2022 See all Example Sentences for profligate 

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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Latin profligatus, from past participle of profligare to strike down, from pro- forward, down + -fligare (akin to fligere to strike); akin to Greek phlibein to squeeze

First Known Use

Adjective

1617, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1709, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of profligate was in 1617

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Dictionary Entries Near profligate

Cite this Entry

“Profligate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profligate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

profligate

adjective
prof·​li·​gate
ˈpräf-li-gət
1
: wicked in character or morals : dissipated
2
: very wasteful
profligate noun

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