Definition of prudent
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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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His decision-making was sometimes impetuous rather than prudent, most notably on his reckless, game-changing fumble in the closing minutes against Kentucky.
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This was prudent oversight given the ongoing war in Europe and possible conflict with Japan, Senator Truman argued.
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In general, prudent buyers still should be justifiably leery of overextending and setting themselves up for financial disaster.
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For Trump to ignore all that and repeatedly trash-talk his attorney general because of his prudent recusal over the Russia investigation is a pretty clear indication that the president is not just distracted by the probe, but intensely fears it.
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Premera, Regence and Kaiser all say their surpluses are prudent.
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Reckless expansion by some firms, in an industry which overvalues market share, has hurt more prudent competitors.
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Still, the future U.S. President thought it prudent to give the government minister overseeing the project a call.
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In that wreck, Ford pleaded guilty to a basic rule violation, driving at a speed greater than what is reasonable and prudent for the conditions.
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
prudent Synonyms
Synonyms
intelligent, judgmatic (or judgmatical), judicious, discreetAntonyms
imprudent, indiscreet, injudiciousRelated Words
cautious, chary, circumspect, cozy; forehanded, foresighted, foresightful, forethoughtful; discerning, discriminating, sage, sane, sapient, senseful, sensible, wise; canny, provident; astute, perspicacious, sagacious, shrewdNear Antonyms
careless, heedless, incautious, rash; improvident, shortsighted; foolish, unwiseSynonym Discussion of prudent
wise, sage, sapient, judicious, prudent, sensible, sane mean having or showing sound judgment. wise suggests great understanding of people and of situations and unusual discernment and judgment in dealing with them.
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- wise beyond his tender years
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- the sage advice of my father
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- the sapient musings of an old philosopher
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- judicious parents using kindness and discipline in equal measure
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- a prudent decision to wait out the storm
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- a sensible woman who was not fooled by flattery
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- remained sane even in times of crises
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