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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of profligate
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
But profligate spending wasn’t the only way inflation weighed on bonds.
—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
20 Mar. 2026
Theater Critic,
San Francisco Chronicle,
5 Feb. 2026
In some ways, the game was set up for him, with Villa profligate but still regularly creating chances.
—
Jacob Tanswell,
The Athletic,
18 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for profligate
Adjective
Both sides had chances in a quieter second half but Brentford especially was profligate in front of goal.
—
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
But profligate spending wasn’t the only way inflation weighed on bonds.
—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
As nouveau riche neighbor Yermolái (Lance Gardner) tries to impress upon the profligate Liubóv that her property is in arrears and about to be auctioned off, the rules and tone of their world still seem unsettled under the direction of Carey Perloff.
—
Theater Critic,
San Francisco Chronicle,
5 Feb. 2026
In some ways, the game was set up for him, with Villa profligate but still regularly creating chances.
—
Jacob Tanswell,
The Athletic,
18 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for profligate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profligate
Adjective
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The flights were one of six areas the audit identified as wasteful use of taxpayer dollars.
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The administration defends its actions, including massive layoffs at government health agencies, as necessary to eliminate wasteful spending.
Noun
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To be a valid spendthrift trust in Illinois, three factors must be met.
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The split screen of Bezos and his spendthrift wife, Lauren Sánchez, frolicking everywhere — including Paris Fashion Week — while the tech mogul defiles the crown jewel nurtured by Ben Bradlee and Kay Graham is sickening.
Noun
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But while his recent albums with Tony Seltzer and Subjxct 5 resurfaced some of the dynamism brought by Sporting Life during his younger years as the fire-breathing degenerate who tied Ratking together, that energy takes a backseat here.
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Now playback all the degenerate, violent entertainment Julianne has happily participated in throughout her career.
Noun
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Delery ruminates on her wastrel youth.
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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.
Noun
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Nora Ephron for depressed perverts.
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You are being spied on by a pervert.
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.
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Secrets are revealed, prodigals return, intolerances surface and family bonds are tested.
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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With the four big AI spenders forecasting as much as $725 billion in capital expenditures this year, and even more expected in 2027, the outlays are sucking up a larger proportion of free cash flow and prompting them to take on more debt.
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Fulton County was the highest spender in Georgia, followed by Peach County, Franklin County, and Chattahoochee County.
Cite this Entry
“Profligate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profligate. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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