profligate 1 of 2

adjective

ˈprä-fli-gət How to pronounce profligate (audio)
Definition of profligatenext
as in wasteful
given to spending money freely or foolishly profligate movie producers hoping to create the next blockbuster

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profligate

2 of 2

noun

ˈprä-fli-gət How to pronounce profligate (audio)
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

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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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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
Adjective
The measure is clearly a state limit on profligate local governments’ ability to raise taxes. — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 30 May 2026 Both sides had chances in a quieter second half but Brentford especially was profligate in front of goal. — ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
As nouveau riche neighbor Yermolái (Lance Gardner) tries to impress upon the profligate Liubóv that her property is in arrears and about to be auctioned off, the rules and tone of their world still seem unsettled under the direction of Carey Perloff. — Theater Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Feb. 2026 In some ways, the game was set up for him, with Villa profligate but still regularly creating chances. — Jacob Tanswell, The Athletic, 18 Aug. 2024 See All Example Sentences for profligate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profligate
  1. wasteful
  2. spendthrift
  3. degenerate
  4. wastrel
  5. pervert
  6. prodigal
  7. libertine
  8. spender
Adjective
  • Supporters say the measure aims to cut wasteful government spending by requiring audits for new state special taxes.
    — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Congressional Republicans got rid of the EV tax credit last year after long arguing that markets, not the government, should influence what Americans drive, and dubbed the tax credit wasteful spending.
    — Willa Rubin, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of wasteful
Noun
  • To be a valid spendthrift trust in Illinois, three factors must be met.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2026
  • 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
Definition of spendthrift
Noun
  • All the characters in ‘The Pineapple’ are degenerates, and this show invites you to become one as well.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Takeshita came across a vaunted screwdriver in the ring as Don Callis hypocritically called him a degenerate.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of degenerate
Noun
  • Only his father’s respectability, and perhaps his odd Motown accent, spared him from getting cussed out by bridesmaids at society weddings as a wastrel and drunkard, a shameless woman-wrapper.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Foster died destitute in 1864, after falling and injuring himself in the bathroom of a hotel on the Bowery, becoming perhaps the first of many famous wastrels in American popular music.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
Definition of wastrel
Noun
  • Hansen, who left NBC in 2013 but remains a leader in the pervert-ambushing space, has spoken about having considered a sting operation against Jeffrey Epstein in 2015.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
  • This blatant fealty over objectivity perverts the process by choosing personal loyalists instead of independent public servants.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of pervert
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
Definition of prodigal
Noun
  • But, like a libertine desiring undiscovered pleasures, his appetite for new sensations only seemed to grow with time.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Last night, designer Aaron Esh—and generations of libertines old and new—brought the legendary British high street superbrand AllSaints back to its roots.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of libertine
Noun
  • Airlines have been adding new lounges, extra premium seats and more international routes to lure those high-spenders.
    — Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2026
  • And the spenders have, by and large, been the only ones with a true shot at the championship.
    — Molly Geary, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of spender

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Cite this Entry

“Profligate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profligate. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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