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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of profligate
Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
Of course, the same folks who said Trump’s tariffs would cause runaway inflation also said Biden’s profligate spending wouldn’t cause inflation.
—E.j. Antoni, Boston Herald, 13 July 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
The emotion builds in the doc’s second half with the high-flying Haggard’s ambivalence about success, guilt over his wealth and shame over his past, not to mention his profligate ways, bankruptcy and five marriages, some much briefer than others.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
Of course, the same folks who said Trump’s tariffs would cause runaway inflation also said Biden’s profligate spending wouldn’t cause inflation.
—E.j. Antoni, Boston Herald, 13 July 2025
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.
—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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profligate
Adjective
-
The Democrats also largely take aim at how wasteful and ineffective the policy may be.—
STEPHEN GROVES,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The cost of changing to this dangerous policy will be an unnecessary, wasteful cost to Florida taxpayers.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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That is all the more reason the state must get a better handle on its spendthrift ways.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
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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?—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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But 16 did, including two found in the human dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra, a region of the brain that degenerates in Parkinson’s disease.—
Freda Kreier,
Hartford Courant,
14 Jan. 2026
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What should be a gripping thriller centered on new, uncharted technology and questionable loyalties degenerates into a jumbled mess.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
27 Dec. 2025
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.—
Ron Grossman,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Aug. 2025
-
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.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Then, about refocusing our attention on the challenges ahead, like pervert incentives and algorithms that aren’t in line with human flourishing.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Also, what many now interpret as Kubrick’s exposé of elite perverts was, in fact, mostly Schnitzler’s doing.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
17 Dec. 2025
Noun
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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
Noun
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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
Noun
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Saudi Arabia is the world’s fifth-biggest military spender, with $64 billion earmarked for defense this year.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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But not all childless people are spenders.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Profligate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profligate. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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