profligate
UK /ˈpɹɒflɪɡət/ · US /ˈpɹɑːflɪɡət/ adjective, noun, verb
Forms profligates profligating profligated
- adjective Inclined to waste resources or behave extravagantly.
- adjective Immoral; abandoned to vice.
- adjective (participial adjective) Overthrown, ruined.
- noun An abandoned person; one openly and shamelessly vicious; a dissolute person.
- noun An overly wasteful or extravagant individual.
- verb (obsolete) To drive away; to overcome.
Synonyms
extravagant wasteful prodigal improvident imprudent lavish loose-handed reckless spendthrift squandering uneconomical unthrifty immoral licentious wastrel big spender dingthrift neve overspender saprophage rake rakehell rip blood roue squanderer debauched degenerate degraded dissipated
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) and pro-), from prō- (“forward”) + flīgō (“to strike, dash”) + -ō (1st conjugation compound verb-forming suffix). Common participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Overthrown; beaten; conquered. [Obs.]
- adjective Broken down in respect of rectitude, principle, virtue, or decency; openly and shamelessly immoral or vicious; dissolute; as, profligate man or wretch.
- noun An abandoned person; one openly and shamelessly vicious; a dissolute person. "Such a profligate as Antony." Swift.
- verb To drive away; to overcome.
Etymology [L. profligatus, p. p. of profligare to strike or dash to the ground, to destroy; pro before + a word akin to fligere to strike. See Afflict.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “profligate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details