Profligate in a Sentence: Meaning, Examples & Practice

Profligate means recklessly wasteful with money, time or resources, and it always carries disapproval. To use profligate in a sentence, put it before the noun it judges or after a linking verb: “Their profligate spending drained the reserve.” The word suits formal criticism rather than everyday talk.

Profligate at a glance

• Profligate is an adjective and, less often, a noun; the adjective has the comparative more profligate.
• It means recklessly wasteful, and it always implies blame rather than mere generosity.
• The noun profligacy names the habit of squandering; the adverb profligately is rare.
• Frequent collocations are profligate spending, a profligate lifestyle and profligate use of energy.
• The commonest error is applying profligate to any large purchase, however sensible.

What does profligate mean?

Profligate is an adjective meaning recklessly wasteful with money, time or resources; as a noun it means a person who lives that way. The Cambridge entry for profligate records the wasteful sense and an older sense of being morally dissolute, but only the wasteful sense is common today. A profligate choice consumes resources without returning value, so the speaker is passing judgement rather than simply measuring a cost.

One honest limitation belongs here. Profligate is the wrong word for spending that is large but defensible, such as a hospital buying modern scanners. It never means poor, and it never means generous: a profligate spender may be neither rich nor kind. Reach for extravagant or pricey when you merely mean expensive, and reserve profligate for waste somebody can be blamed for.

How do you use profligate in a sentence?

Profligate attaches to a noun or follows a linking verb, and it never takes an object of its own. The five patterns below cover most real sentences, and the first is by far the commonest in formal writing.

Notice where profligate refuses to go. You can call spending profligate, but you rarely call a single purchase profligate, because the word judges a pattern rather than one receipt. That is why profligate spending sounds native while a profligate sofa sounds like a mistake.

Profligate in a sentence: examples across contexts

Profligate keeps one meaning while changing the world it describes. The ten sentences below move from a school meeting to a treasury report, and each one names what was wasted.

Only the ninth row uses the word after a linking verb; the rest place it before a noun, which is the more typical position in formal writing. A lavish party can be defended when the host can afford it, but a profligate one cannot, because the word has already passed sentence.

Profligate vs prodigal

Profligate and prodigal both describe waste, and writers mix them constantly. prodigal carries the Bible story of the prodigal son, so it points at lavish youth and forgiveness; profligate points at blameworthy, repeated waste. A spendthrift is the noun for a person who cannot keep money, whichever of the two adjectives you choose.

Verdict: choose prodigal for the famous parable or for generous abundance, and profligate for waste that deserves criticism.

Word forms and grammar of profligate

Profligate changes shape rarely, and the table lists the forms you may actually meet, including the verb that students invent by mistake.

The opposite habit is frugal, and a close cousin is thrifty. Both praise care with money, so neither can stand in for profligate in a sentence that blames waste.

Common mistakes with profligate

• Incorrect: The profligate car cost more than the house. Correct: The expensive car cost more than the house. Rule: Profligate judges wasteful use, not a high price.
• Incorrect: He profligated the whole inheritance in a year. Correct: He squandered the whole inheritance in a year. Rule: Profligate is never a verb; use squander or waste.
• Incorrect: Her profligacy of money worried the family. Correct: Her profligacy worried the family. Rule: Profligacy already means waste of money, so the of-phrase repeats it.
• Incorrect: The most profligate department of all others. Correct: The most profligate department of all. Rule: Most already forms the superlative, so do not add others.
• Incorrect: The charity was profligate, so it helped many poor families. Correct: The charity was generous, so it helped many poor families. Rule: Profligate implies harm, while generosity is a virtue.

Practice using profligate

Work through the seven items, then read the reasoning, because the reasons carry the lesson.

1. Fill the gap: The mayor called the new fountain a ______ use of public money.
2. Choose the better word: After the audit, the club’s (profligate / generous) spending on travel was criticised.
3. Correct the error: The director profligated the reserve in a single term.
4. Build a sentence: use profligate with about a hotel that wastes water.
5. Spot the register: which fits a formal report, the agency was profligate with fuel, or the agency blew loads of fuel?
6. Rewrite with the noun: The team squandered its travel budget. Use profligacy.
7. Explain the contrast: write one sentence using prodigal correctly.

Answers

1. profligate — the fountain is wasteful spending, and profligate is the adjective before use.
2. profligate — the spending is blamed, so the approving word generous does not fit.
3. The director squandered the reserve in a single term — profligate has no verb form.
4. Model answer: The hotel was profligate with water, running fountains all night.
5. The agency was profligate with fuel — a report avoids the slang phrase blew loads.
6. The team’s profligacy with its travel budget was criticised — the noun names the behaviour.
7. Model answer: The prodigal son returned home to a forgiving father.

The bottom line

Use profligate in a sentence when you want to blame waste, and place it before the noun it judges. Two points decide most sentences: the word is an adjective far more often than a noun, and it has no verb, so money is squandered or wasted rather than profligated. Where you only mean expensive, choose a plainer word and leave profligate for spending that deserves the criticism.

Frequently asked questions about profligate

Is profligate a formal word?

Profligate belongs to formal writing, journalism and political comment, where the speaker openly judges waste. In everyday speech most people say wasteful or extravagant instead. A sentence such as the agency was profligate with fuel fits an audit report far better than a text message to a friend.

What is the noun form of profligate?

The noun is profligacy, meaning the habit of squandering money or resources. A person who does it can also be called a profligate. The two are not interchangeable: profligacy names the behaviour, while a profligate names the person, as in his profligacy ended the charity.

Can profligate describe a person?

Yes, though the noun is less common than the adjective. Calling someone a profligate labels them by their wasteful habits, and the tone is always critical. The adjective is usually the safer choice, as in a profligate manager, because it judges behaviour without turning the word into a lasting label.

Does profligate mean the same as extravagant?

Extravagant means spending more than is necessary, and it can even sound admiring when the money buys something beautiful. Profligate is never admiring, because it always implies waste and blame. An extravagant wedding might be defended, while a profligate one suggests money poured away with nothing to show.

Are you familiar with the word “profligate”? This descriptive term is often used to characterize someone who is recklessly extravagant and wasteful in their spending or actions, often to a point of excess.

Individuals labeled as profligate often exhibit a lack of restraint or self-control, indulging in behaviors that are considered excessive or irresponsible. We will further explore the nuances and implications of the word “profligate” in various contexts throughout this text.

7 Examples Of Profligate Used In a Sentence For Kids

1. Profligate means spending or using something in a careless way.
2. Don’t be profligate with your toys, take care of them.
3. It’s not good to be profligate with water, we should save it.
4. We should not be profligate with food, always eat what you take.
5. Always remember not to be profligate with paper, save trees.
6. Let’s not be profligate with electricity, turn off lights when not needed.
7. It’s important to not be profligate with our time, use it wisely.

14 Sentences with Profligate Examples

1. Profligate spending on unnecessary items often leads to financial struggles for college students.
2. It is important for students to avoid profligate behavior when it comes to managing their budget.
3. Engaging in profligate drinking habits can have a negative impact on a student’s health and academic performance.
4. Some students indulge in profligate partying without considering the consequences on their studies.
5. It’s crucial for college students to resist the temptation of profligate spending during festive seasons or sales.
6. The culture of profligate borrowing among students can lead to insurmountable debt in the future.
7. Students should be cautious of living a profligate lifestyle to maintain a healthy balance between academics and social life.
8. An awareness campaign about the dangers of profligate behavior could benefit students in making more responsible choices.
9. Effective budgeting skills can help students avoid profligate financial habits.
10. Peer pressure can sometimes lead students to engage in profligate activities they wouldn’t normally consider.
11. It’s important for college students to prioritize their needs over profligate desires while managing their expenses.
12. Falling into the trap of profligate spending can hinder a student’s ability to save for important goals, such as further education or travel.
13. Avoiding profligate use of resources, such as paper and electricity, can contribute to a more sustainable campus environment.
14. Encouraging responsible behavior towards money and resources can help students steer clear of profligate habits.

How To Use Profligate in Sentences?

To use Profligate in a sentence, follow these simple steps:

1. Understand the meaning of Profligate:

   • Profligate means recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources. It usually has a negative connotation of someone who spends money or resources in a carefree and irresponsible manner.

2. Choose the context:

   • Think of a situation where someone is spending money or resources excessively without considering the consequences.

3. Form a sentence:

   • Use Profligate as an adjective to describe a person or their actions. For example: “The billionaire’s profligate spending habits led to his bankruptcy.”

4. Check the sentence:

   • Ensure that the sentence makes sense and accurately conveys the meaning of Profligate in the context you have chosen.

5. Practice using Profligate in different sentences:

   • Experiment with different scenarios and contexts to become more comfortable with using Profligate in your speech or writing.

Remember that using Profligate in a sentence can help you expand your vocabulary and communicate more effectively. Practice incorporating it into your daily conversations to improve your language skills and understanding of the word’s meaning.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the examples of sentences with the keyword “profligate” showcase a range of contexts where the term can be applied. From describing extravagant spending habits to reckless behavior, the word “profligate” conveys a sense of wastefulness and excess. By using this word in sentences, one can effectively illustrate behavior that is careless or extravagantly wasteful.

The diverse examples provided highlight the versatility of the word “profligate” and its ability to succinctly convey a specific type of behavior or attitude. Whether describing financial irresponsibility or moral decadence, incorporating “profligate” into sentences adds depth and precision to communication, allowing for a more nuanced expression of extravagant and reckless behaviors.