profligate

1 of 2

adjective

prof·li·gate ˈprä-fli-gət

-ˌgāt

Synonyms of profligate

: wildly extravagant

profligate spending

: completely given up to dissipation and licentiousness : shamelessly immoral

leading a profligate life

profligately adverb

profligate

2 of 2

noun

prof·li·gate ˈprä-fli-gət

-ˌgāt

: a person given to wildly extravagant and usually grossly self-indulgent expenditure

Did you know?

Don't Get Overwhelmed by the History of Profligate

When a royal record keeper reported the "profligation of the knights" almost five centuries ago, he didn't mean the knights were wildly indulging in excesses; he meant they were thoroughly defeated in battle. There's nothing etymologically extreme there; the Latin verb profligare, which is the root of both profligate and the much rarer profligation (meaning "ruin"), means "to strike down," "to destroy," or "to overwhelm." When the adjective profligate first appeared in print in English it meant "overthrown" or "overwhelmed," (a sense that is now obsolete) but over time the word's meaning shifted to "immoral" or "wildly extravagant."

Examples of profligate in a Sentence

Adjective In a curious way, part of the genius of America has been a collective forgetfulness, a talent for somehow outdistancing problems in a headlong race toward something new. It is a form of heedlessness, perhaps, blithe and profligate, but also an exuberant forward spin that may spare people the exhausting obligations of revenge. —Lance Morrow, Time, 4 Apr. 1988

Sure, the trade deficit symbolizes a profligate America, consuming more than it produces and spending more than it has. —Philip Revzin, Wall Street Journal, 17 Mar. 17, 1988

Everyone seemed fond of statistics, but the counterterrorism experts were especially profligate with numbers. —Kurt Andersen, Time, 24 June 1985

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Adjective

According to his lawyers, Person’s financial troubles owed to a combination of profligate spending and giving, five-figure monthly alimony payments to an ex-wife, bad investments and the scourge of high-interest loans. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 25 Mar. 2025 Illinois politicians, as a class, are known for many things: corruption, high taxes, profligate spending and heavy regulation. —Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 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, 14 Sep. 2022 See All Example Sentences for profligate

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Latin profligatus, from past participle of profligare to strike down, from pro- forward, down + -fligare (akin to fligere to strike); akin to Greek phlibein to squeeze

First Known Use

Adjective

1617, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1709, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of profligate was in 1617

See more words from the same year