profligates

noun

plural of profligate
1
as in spendthrifts
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in perverts
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for profligates
  1. wastrels
  2. perverts
  3. spenders
  4. degenerates
  5. wasters
Noun
  • 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 wastrels
Noun
  • Nora Ephron for depressed perverts.
    — Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2026
  • Also, what many now interpret as Kubrick’s exposé of elite perverts was, in fact, mostly Schnitzler’s doing.
    — Lane Brown, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of perverts
Noun
  • New campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday continue to show Bronin and Larson as the top fundraisers and spenders, with challengers Jillian Gilchrest and Ruth Fortune lagging far behind.
    — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 17 July 2026
  • The top spenders in the 2024 race, including the Chicago Teachers Union and pro-school-choice groups such as the Illinois Network of Charter Schools and the Urban Center, have yet to make major contributions.
    — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 16 July 2026
Definition of spenders
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
Definition of degenerates
Noun
  • Include categories for deep work, admin tasks, communication, and time wasters.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of wasters
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.

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profligate
profligates
profound
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Cite this Entry

“Profligates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profligates. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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