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Definition of prudent
prudently
adverbPeople Are Reading
prudent was our Word of the Day on 05/19/2015. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of prudent in a Sentence
An endless war is not always the most moral or the most prudent course of action. —Richard A. Posner, New Republic, 2 Sept. 2002
We missed the Mass for St. Rose of Lima, who, though prudent, had failed to be martyred and was therefore only second-string. —Darryl Pinckney, High Cotton, 1992
Prudent burners take several precautions. Burning one of two bordering fields, they wet the edge of one or the other, usually the one being burned, to prevent the flames from jumping. —Alec Wilkinson, Big Sugar, 1989
Since the inexplicable power of a magnetized needle to “find” the north smacked of black magic … . For many decades the prudent sea captain consulted his compass secretly. —Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983
He always listened to her prudent advice.
You made a prudent choice.
Recent Examples of prudent from the Web
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Even backing away from that $47 million that Dwyane Wade eventually took over two years from the Chicago Bulls last summer now appears prudent on the Heat's part (a total that instead got the Heat four seasons of Tyler Johnson).
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Nevertheless, Ahab exacts total obedience from his ragtag men, with one exception: his prudent first mate, Starbuck (the superb Kareem Bandealy), who though firm and unyielding to his last breath is nevertheless undone by Ahab's preternatural fury.
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The prudent employee generally will avoid biting the hand that feeds him.
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Zorin is a Russian government official who’s spent nearly $8 million on waterfront South Florida homes, hardly financially prudent given his bureaucrat’s salary of $75,000 per year.
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Colorado’s prudent Parks and Wildlife department has already warned residents against celebrating Nude Hiking Day, but that hasn’t kept the state’s most freewheelin’ wilderness buffs from stripping down and heading out for a hike.
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The Russian segment of the station controls the thrusters that generally are used to maneuver the station away from orbital debris, so such coordination might seem prudent.
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Given the number of lives affected by the relocation, the remaining concerns of the surrounding community, and the attention this project has received more broadly, a public hearing is the most prudent way to proceed.
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But again, a prudent cost/benefit analysis must be completed in order to ensure that their hypothesis is sound.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prudent'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
It is prudent To Read Up on This Word History
Prudent arrived in Middle English around the 14th century and traces back, by way of Middle French, to the Latin verb providēre, meaning "to see ahead, foresee, provide (for). "Providēre" combines pro-, meaning "before, and vidēre, meaning "to see, and it may look familiar to you; it is also the source of our "provide," "provident," "provision," and "improvise." "Vidēre" also has many English offspring, including "evident," "supervise," "video," and "vision."
Origin and Etymology of prudent
Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin prudent-, prudens, contraction of provident-, providens — more at provident
Synonym Discussion of prudent
PRUDENT Defined for English Language Learners
prudent
playDefinition of prudent for English Language Learners
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: having or showing careful good judgment
PRUDENT Defined for Kids
prudent
playDefinition of prudent for Students
: wise and careful in action or judgment
prudently
adverbLaw Dictionary
prudent
playLegal Definition of prudent
: characterized by, arising from, or showing prudence
prudently
adverbLearn More about prudent
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See words that rhyme with prudent Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for prudent Spanish Central: Translation of prudent Nglish: Translation of prudent for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of prudent for Arabic speakers
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