as in wasteful
given to spending money freely or foolishly
profligate movie producers hoping to create the next blockbuster
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Recent Examples of profligate
E.j. Antoni, Boston Herald, 13 July 2025
European cinema helped to produce much of summer noir’s lexicon of themes, settings, and archetypes: Its fascination with the storied decadence of the leisure class—and the profligate rituals of the seasonal tourist—appeared in earlier film satires by Jean Renoir and Jacques Tati.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
WSJ, 14 Sep. 2022
Still, Republicans have slammed Democrats for profligate spending since retaking the majority, decrying the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief measure passed in March and the possible passage of the Build Back Better Act.
—Grace Segers, The New Republic, 15 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for profligate
Adjective
Of course, the same folks who said Trump’s tariffs would cause runaway inflation also said Biden’s profligate spending wouldn’t cause inflation.
—Noun
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.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for profligate
Adjective
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The recent history of the Games, both summer and winter, features a trail of wasteful temporary housing or long-term residences that were difficult to sell (Rio de Janeiro), poorly maintained (Athens) or out of reach for low-income families (London).—
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To do otherwise would be wasteful.—
Noun
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Who believes that, with the U.S. Congress poring over Epstein's emails, there isn't still more appalling material about Andrew and his spendthrift ex-wife Fergie to be exposed?—
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When measured by budget deficit – the gap between government spending and revenue – France is also among the most spendthrift in the European Union, according to Eurostat, the bloc’s statistics office.—
Noun
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What should be a gripping thriller centered on new, uncharted technology and questionable loyalties degenerates into a jumbled mess.—
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If this group of hardened degenerates was able to enjoy the action at this level, who, exactly, are the spiritual victims of sports betting?—
Noun
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He was raised on Chicago’s North Side by a wastrel father and a mother who struggled to put food on their table.—
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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.—
Noun
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Also, what many now interpret as Kubrick’s exposé of elite perverts was, in fact, mostly Schnitzler’s doing.—
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Tarpley Hitt: Postwar miscreants, several perverts (value-neutral), corporate consolidation, lawsuits, copyright law, knockoffs/fakes, America, lying, dolls.—
Noun
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Secrets are revealed, prodigals return, intolerances surface and family bonds are tested.—
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The food today is extraordinarily good and prodigal.—
Noun
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The protagonist of A Love Story is a lover boy, a libertine, a gossip, a flirt.—
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The libertines will begin the film in suits.—
Noun
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Japan’s transformation into one of the world’s major defense spenders has developed over decades and raises the question of whether the ongoing buildup is a violation of its pacifist constitution.—
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Compared to pre-refresh, American Express saw double the number of new Amex Platinum acquisitions, record-high bookings on Amex Travel and roughly 2X more consumer Platinum spenders across Resy restaurants, Lululemon and Oura brands, according to American Express's Q3 2025 earnings presentation.—
Cite this Entry
“Profligate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profligate. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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