adjective
prudent
PROO-duhnt/ˈpruːdnt/
Careful and sensible in judging risks.
The prudent cyclist puts on her helmet and checks the brakes.
Etymology
Latin prudens described someone knowing or judicious and ultimately comes from the idea of looking ahead. The English meaning increasingly emphasized circumspection: using good judgment to protect oneself from harm.
In context
renders the risk so small as to be practically negligible to do more than this is not possible in a world where mistakes must occur and more than this no prudent advocate of philosophy would claim to have performed
More examples
- A prudent driver slows down when the road is icy.
- Checking the repair costs first seems like a prudent step.
- Waiting for better weather is more prudent than hiking today.
Forms
prudent · more prudent · most prudent
prudence noun — Careful judgment when considering possible risks.
prudently adverb — In a careful and sensible way.
Similar words
- cautious
- Emphasizes avoiding danger rather than exercising sound overall judgment.
- sensible
- Emphasizes practical good judgment, not necessarily attention to risks.