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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Young Canvot’s error against AEK Larnaca at Selhurst Park in late October, a game in which Palace were profligate — the story of their season — meant they were beaten by the Cypriot side. — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 28 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
  • Take a look at who is spending tax money responsibly — on ballfields, water-quality projects, help for victims of crime, no-kill animal shelters and other popular priorities — and who is being wasteful.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Republican response But conservatives said those policies inflated enrollment by attracting fraudulent and wasteful coverage.
    — Christine Mai-Duc, NPR, 23 Aug. 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
  • But while his recent albums with Tony Seltzer and Subjxct 5 resurfaced some of the dynamism brought by Sporting Life during his younger years as the fire-breathing degenerate who tied Ratking together, that energy takes a backseat here.
    — Lei Takanashi, Pitchfork, 16 June 2026
  • Now playback all the degenerate, violent entertainment Julianne has happily participated in throughout her career.
    — Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 17 May 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
  • 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
  • This blatant expression of fealty over objectivity perverts the process by choosing personal loyalists instead of independent public servants.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 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
  • The protagonist of A Love Story is a lover boy, a libertine, a gossip, a flirt.
    — The Atlantic, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
  • The libertines will begin the film in suits.
    — David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Definition of libertine
Noun
  • As of Tuesday morning, those two clubs remained in the top four English spenders on a net basis this summer, but the reasons are plain.
    — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Independent groups spent millions more backing unsuccessful Republican candidates for governor Chris Carr and Brad Raffensperger, with interests ranging from Planned Parenthood to Georgia Realtors rounding out the top spenders.
    — David Wickert, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 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 1 Sep. 2026.

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