What does "profligate" mean?
An abandoned person; one openly and shamelessly vicious; a dissolute person.
Profligate
/ˈpɹɒflɪɡət/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An abandoned person; one openly and shamelessly vicious; a dissolute person.
- Grammar: profligate is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: debauched, dissolute, extravagant, prodigal.
- Useful contrasts: stingy, abstinent, disciplined.
- Usage evidence: He was a drunkard and a profligate.
How to use "profligate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "profligate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "profligate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "profligate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "profligate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "profligate" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "debauched" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "profligate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An abandoned person; one openly and shamelessly vicious; a dissolute person.
"Have you come to Nelson seeking your death, profligate?"
- 2 a recklessly extravagant consumer wordnet
- 3 An overly wasteful or extravagant individual.
"He proposed to call witnesses to show how the prisoner, a profligate and spendthrift, had been at the end of his financial tether, and had also been carrying on an intrigue with a certain Mrs. Raikes, a neighbouring farmer’s wife."
- 4 a dissolute man in fashionable society wordnet
Verb
- 1 To drive away; to overcome. obsolete
"Such a stipulation would remove one powerful temptation to profligate pennyless seducers, of whom there are too many prowling in the higher circles ;"
Adjective
- 1 Inclined to waste resources or behave extravagantly.
"[H]er Reputation—That—I have no Reaſon to believe is in Queſtion—But then hovv long her profligate Courſe of Pleaſures may make her able to keep it—is a ſhocking Queſtion! and her Preſumption VVhile ſhe keeps it—inſupportable!"
- 2 Immoral; abandoned to vice.
"Made prostitute and profligate the muse."
- 3 Profligated: routed, overcome, driven away.
"The Canon laws […] with their Author, are profligate out of this realm."
- 4 Overthrown, ruined.
"The foe is profligate, and run."
Adjective
- 1 unrestrained by convention or morality wordnet
- 2 recklessly wasteful wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"He was a drunkard and a profligate."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "profligate"?
Common synonyms include: debauched, dissolute, extravagant, prodigal, spendthrift, abandoned.
How do you use "profligate" in a sentence?
He was a drunkard and a profligate.
How do you pronounce "profligate"?
Pronounced /ˈpɹɒflɪɡət/.
Etymology
The adjective is first attested in 1535, the verb in 1542; borrowed from Latin prōflīgātus, perfect passive participle of prōflīgō (“to strike down, cast down”) (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 an 3)), from prō- (“forward”) + flīgō (“to strike, dash”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Common participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.