as in wasteful
given to spending money freely or foolishly
profligate movie producers hoping to create the next blockbuster
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in spendthrift
someone who spends money freely or foolishly
a profligate who could not really afford the grand style he maintained at Monticello, Jefferson died deeply in debt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in degenerate
a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard
a drunken profligate, he was given to wretched excess in every aspect of his life
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 profligate
Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
Coming clean about the numbers helped Greece make its case for financial support from the EU and the International Monetary Fund – and forced the former Socialist government to rein in profligate spending.
—The Monitor’s Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Aug. 2025
WSJ, 14 Sep. 2022
Still, Republicans have slammed Democrats for profligate spending since retaking the majority, decrying the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief measure passed in March and the possible passage of the Build Back Better Act.
—Grace Segers, The New Republic, 15 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for profligate
Adjective
The emotion builds in the doc’s second half with the high-flying Haggard’s ambivalence about success, guilt over his wealth and shame over his past, not to mention his profligate ways, bankruptcy and five marriages, some much briefer than others.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
Coming clean about the numbers helped Greece make its case for financial support from the EU and the International Monetary Fund – and forced the former Socialist government to rein in profligate spending.
—The Monitor’s Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Aug. 2025
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
Still, Republicans have slammed Democrats for profligate spending since retaking the majority, decrying the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief measure passed in March and the possible passage of the Build Back Better Act.
—Grace Segers, The New Republic, 15 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for profligate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profligate
Adjective
-
So while driving Indy cars 177 miles in a circle may seem wasteful during a gas crunch, Sunday’s race will have a negligible affect on the price and availability of fuel at service stations.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
-
In 2004, after years of incompetent, wasteful and corrupt agencies obstructing basic and legal public records requests, the California Assembly and Senate voted unanimously to put Proposition 59 before voters.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The split screen of Bezos and his spendthrift wife, Lauren Sánchez, frolicking everywhere — including Paris Fashion Week — while the tech mogul defiles the crown jewel nurtured by Ben Bradlee and Kay Graham is sickening.—
Maureen Dowd,
Mercury News,
3 Feb. 2026
-
That is all the more reason the state must get a better handle on its spendthrift ways.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The product exploded, generating trillions and minting a new class of crypto degenerates who were willing to take massive risks that, occasionally, resulted in millions.—
Clara Molot,
Vanity Fair,
17 Mar. 2026
-
In all vertebrates, the thymus degenerates very rapidly with age.—
Mallory Locklear,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Delery ruminates on her wastrel youth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Apr. 2026
-
He was raised on Chicago’s North Side by a wastrel father and a mother who struggled to put food on their table.—
Ron Grossman,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Nora Ephron for depressed perverts.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2026
-
You are being spied on by a pervert.—
Jay Ruttenberg,
New Yorker,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Twenty-six James Bond films (the 25 Eon joints, plus the prodigal Never Say Never Again) are coming to Netflix this month.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
-
Secrets are revealed, prodigals return, intolerances surface and family bonds are tested.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The protagonist of A Love Story is a lover boy, a libertine, a gossip, a flirt.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
4 Dec. 2025
-
The libertines will begin the film in suits.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Saudi Arabia alone has spent $300 billion on defense in the past five years and is one of the 10 biggest military spenders in the world.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
13 Apr. 2026
-
While rivals like OpenAI, Anthropic and Google have spearheaded the artificial intelligence boom with powerful models and popular chatbots as well as other services, Meta has been a hefty spender on AI but has yet to show any new revenue streams from it.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Profligate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profligate. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
