Link Centre Dictionary

profligate

prof·li·gate

UK/ˈpɹɒflɪɡeɪt/ US/ˈpɹɑːflɪɡeɪt/ uncommon obsolete
noun (2) adjective (2)

noun

1.
2.

adjective

1.

recklessly wasteful

  • “prodigal in their expenditures”
Synonyms
Similar
2.

unrestrained by convention or morality

  • “Congreve draws a debauched aristocratic society”
  • “deplorably dissipated and degraded”
  • “riotous living”
  • “fast women”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

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.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.