spendthrift 1 of 2

spendthrift

2 of 2

noun

as in wastrel
someone who carelessly spends money the spendthrift managed to blow all of his inheritance in a single year

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 spendthrift
Adjective
Galle’s father worked for Marie Antoinette, but the French Revolution unsurprisingly had a major impact on the aristocratic market for spendthrift furnishings like this. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024 Those could have been used to constrain distributions to or for the benefit of the spendthrift child. Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
Noun
Finally, the claimant failed to prove that the spendthrift provision in the trust, which is critical to the protection the trust provided, should be invalidated. Martin Shenkman, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025 That is often viewed by us profligate, protein-burning, fat-loving energy spendthrifts as an inferior form of metabolism. Stephen S. Hall, Time, 21 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for spendthrift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spendthrift
Adjective
  • Tossing soap that’s only been used once seems wasteful.
    Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2025
  • Each car needs multiple parking spots throughout the day, fueling demand for wasteful surface lots that contribute to flooding and the heat island effect and make neighborhoods less walkable and bikeable.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 31 July 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
  • Secrets are revealed, prodigals return, intolerances surface and family bonds are tested.
    Greg Evans, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2025
  • The food today is extraordinarily good and prodigal.
    Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The biggest water waster, though, is cleaning during installation and use.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 13 Nov. 2014
  • Who is a time waster and who is your next biggest client?
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • 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, WSJ, 14 Sep. 2022

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Cite this Entry

“Spendthrift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spendthrift. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

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