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profligacy

noun

ˈprä-fli-gə-sē How to pronounce profligacy (audio)
Definition of profligacynext
as in corruption
immoral conduct or practices harmful or offensive to society a religious leader who railed against the profligacy of the nation's decadent aristocrats

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of profligacy California’s profligacy in state funding during the Newsom era has been made possible by its high tax rates, as evidenced by its 48th overall ranking in the 2025 Tax Foundation’s State Tax Competitiveness Index. — Jim Doti, Oc Register, 8 Mar. 2026 Should the Fed act imprudently, financial markets respond swiftly through rising yields or declining asset prices, mechanisms that serve as effective constraints on profligacy. — James Broughel, Forbes.com, 2 Feb. 2026 The State of Illinois and City of Chicago’s finances have been in a continuous downward spiral because of their unbalanced budgets, spending, profligacy, and inability — especially from Chicago — to deal with the staggering unfunded pension liabilities. — Joe Sanders, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026 Fiscal profligacy and political meddling in monetary policy are eroding the foundations of dollar dominance. — Lael Brainard, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for profligacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profligacy
  1. corruption
  2. immorality
  3. sin
  4. sinfulness
  5. evil
Noun
  • Because of the high likelihood of corruption, our devices encode messages with enough redundancy that they can be pieced together by the receiving machine despite the errors incurred in transit.
    — Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Miami Vice ’85, with a screenplay by Dan Gilroy, explores the glamour and corruption of mid-1980s Miami in an all-new version of Miami Vice, inspired by the pilot episode of the landmark 1984-90 NBC series.
    — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of corruption
Noun
  • Since the middle of the twentieth century, societies around the globe have undergone a collective revolution in standards and attitudes towards obscenity and immorality.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Independents said the worst thing about Republicans was their loyalty to Trump (10%), perceptions of corruption and self-enrichment (8%), dishonesty, hypocrisy or immorality (7%), a lack of concern for ordinary people or cruelty (6%), and ineffective and weak or unqualified leadership (5%).
    — Emily Guskin, ABC News, 27 May 2026
Definition of immorality
Noun
  • So lets unpack all the sins and consequences, starting with those tied to the case John just closed.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2026
  • Some Jews may pray near a body of water in a Tashlich ceremony, tossing pieces of bread or other food into the water to symbolize sending off sins.
    — Bailey Allen, The Providence Journal, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of sin
Noun
  • But soon after, in Genesis 18, God tells Abraham of plans to investigate reports of sinfulness in Sodom and Gomorrah.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
  • Denver author Josiah Hesse was raised by Evangelical parents in churches that believe in the torments of hell, that their poverty is due to their sinfulness and lack of faith.
    — Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
Definition of sinfulness
Noun
  • In my ideal world there would be dozens of essay collections by excellent writers (Choi is a poet) on culture and politics, technology and the evils of capitalism.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Early in the outbreak, Tedros talked about having visited the outbreak zone and being struck by the fact that many people seemed to view Ebola as a lesser of evils.
    — Helen Branswell, STAT, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of evil

Browse Nearby Words

profits
profligacy
profligate
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Cite this Entry

“Profligacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profligacy. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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