Definition of PROFLIGATE (original) (raw)

Examples of profligate in a Sentence

Adjective

In a curious way, part of the genius of America has been a collective forgetfulness, a talent for somehow outdistancing problems in a headlong race toward something new. It is a form of heedlessness, perhaps, blithe and profligate, but also an exuberant forward spin that may spare people the exhausting obligations of revenge. —Lance Morrow, Time, 4 Apr. 1988 Sure, the trade deficit symbolizes a profligate America, consuming more than it produces and spending more than it has. —Philip Revzin, Wall Street Journal, 17 Mar. 17, 1988 Everyone seemed fond of statistics, but the counterterrorism experts were especially profligate with numbers. —Kurt Andersen, Time, 24 June 1985

She was very profligate in her spending. profligate movie producers hoping to create the next blockbuster Noun

"Why did you ask that scoundrel, Rawdon Crawley, to dine?" said the Rector to his lady, as they were walking home through the park. "I don't want the fellow. He looks down upon us country people as so many blackamoors. … Besides, he's such an infernal character—he's a gambler—he's a drunkard—he's a profligate in every way." —William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, 1848

a profligate who could not really afford the grand style he maintained at Monticello, Jefferson died deeply in debt a drunken profligate, he was given to wretched excess in every aspect of his life

Recent Examples on the Web

About 16 percent of all birds have been documented to hybridize with another species at least occasionally in the wild; ducks are particularly profligate hybridizers, with the familiar Mallard Duck on record as having interbred with more than 40 other duck species. —Rebecca Heisman, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024 Americans have long been among the world’s most profligate tippers. —Virginia Postrel, The Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2024

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 Fed up with the profligate practice, dumpster divers like Ms. Sacks have started posting videos of their haul on TikTok in recent years as a way of shaming corporations and raising awareness of the wasteful behavior. —Steven Kurutz, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2022 See all Example Sentences for profligate

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