as in wasteful
given to spending money freely or foolishly
profligate movie producers hoping to create the next blockbuster
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of profligate
Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
Nothing better illustrates this than the profligate spending plan that Gov. Gavin Newsom got approved in June 2022.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 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
European cinema helped to produce much of summer noir’s lexicon of themes, settings, and archetypes: Its fascination with the storied decadence of the leisure class—and the profligate rituals of the seasonal tourist—appeared in earlier film satires by Jean Renoir and Jacques Tati.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
Nothing better illustrates this than the profligate spending plan that Gov. Gavin Newsom got approved in June 2022.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 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
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Insurers have long argued that prior authorization reduces fraud and wasteful spending, as well as prevents potential harm.—
Lauren Sausser,
NBC news,
24 Sep. 2025
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Democrats have seized on the reversals as evidence that the cuts were hasty and wasteful.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Their spending habits were that of a spendthrift, and there was only one parent really making any income.—
R29 Team,
Refinery29,
10 Sep. 2025
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Republicans should make liberals justify their own spendthrift ways, rather than playing defense.—
Erick Erickson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 July 2025
Noun
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Created by Rob Mac (formerly McElhenney, who also plays the character Mac), the Emmy-deserving series premiered 20 years ago on Aug. 4, 2005, introducing the world to a gang of morally bankrupt degenerates running the least successful bar in Philly, Paddy's Pub.—
James Mercadante,
EW.com,
4 Aug. 2025
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Novak: The fact that this group of degenerates, these bloodsucking, mass-murdering vampires and wannabe vampires, [could be] so lovable is amazing.—
Michael Ordoña,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
Noun
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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
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Ridley, traumatized by the cancer death of her mother and considered mostly a wastrel by those around her for pursuing a degree in the dread-inducing major of art history, knows a thing or two about the mythology behind these kindly rainbow-spewing creatures.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Boiled down to a thoughtless pervert by the public, Six became one.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
21 Aug. 2025
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What follows is a floor-by-floor descent into madness as Bobby battles bloodthirsty perverts, demonic flash mobs, and hallucinogenic suburban nightmares, all while trying to figure out if he’s meant to be the hero… or just the last guy standing.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
14 July 2025
Noun
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Secrets are revealed, prodigals return, intolerances surface and family bonds are tested.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2025
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The food today is extraordinarily good and prodigal.—
Jeff Kleinman,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Could a non-blueblood, top-20 spender win in the NIL era with the right coach, right quarterback and right transfer class?—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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The largest outside spenders in the 2014 race were democratic groups.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Remove it with a garden rake or have the lawn aerated to break it down.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
29 Sep. 2025
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Then pop off the front wheel of your two-wheeler, and attach the forks to the front-loader's steering mechanism, tweaking for rake.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Profligate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profligate. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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