adjective / noun
profligate
PROF-lih-gut/ˈprɑːflɪɡət/
Recklessly wasteful with money or resources.
The profligate man throws untouched food away despite its freshness.
Etymology
The pieces express striking down or ruining. The meaning moved from being overthrown to being morally ruined or abandoned to vice, and then to reckless extravagance with money or resources.
In context
the profligate younger of two sons loses everything at a binge of gambling and carousing
More examples
- The factory is profligate with water, wasting thousands of gallons daily.
- Her profligate shopping habits soon drained her savings.
- He's a profligate who spends his entire paycheck on luxuries.
Forms
profligate · profligates
profligacy noun — Reckless wastefulness with money or resources.
profligately adverb — In a recklessly wasteful manner.
Similar words
- wasteful
- Broader and less forceful; includes inefficient use without recklessness.
- extravagant
- Emphasizes excessive spending or luxury, not necessarily reckless waste.
- spendthrift
- Focuses on someone who wastes money rather than other resources.