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Synonyms
Examples of profligacy in a Sentence
a religious leader who railed against the profligacy of the nation's decadent aristocrats
Recent Examples on the Web
Just over a decade ago, there was even something called Tea Party movement, raising the alarm across the country about federal profligacy.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 16 May 2024
Both unions have convincingly declared victory, but, after years of reliance on boom-time profligacy, the industry is bracing for a downturn in the quantity—and perhaps the quality—of its output.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2023
The team was eventually made to pay for its profligacy in front of goal as Real Madrid caught Leipzig on the counterattack after 65 minutes, with Jude Bellingham bursting forward and setting up Vinícius Jr. for an emphatic finish.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024
United’s collapse in performance has coincided with one of the biggest talent acquisitions sprees in its history, and untangling that profligacy has left the club poorly positioned to meet the league’s spending limits.
—Tariq Panja, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
So much neon and noise, plastic and profligacy—is this what growth looks like?
South Korea, one of the Asian Tigers, is a star of developmental economics.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2024
The company’s $9 billion valuation in an October 2021 deal — one of the biggest mergers by enterprise value at the time — exemplified the profligacy of a near-zero interest rate environment.
—Bailey Lipschultz, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2023
Some recent scholarship has challenged Nero’s reputation for profligacy, suggesting that he was portrayed by ancient historians as a villain, accused of playing a lyre while Rome burned in A.D. 64.
—Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 30 July 2023
That strange, reckless profligacy made Barb think of their mother, who in her final years sat at home, saying yes to every sales phone call.
—Robert Kolker, New York Times, 20 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'profligacy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1738, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to profligacy
Dictionary Entries Near profligacy
Cite this Entry
“Profligacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profligacy. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
profligacy
noun
prof·li·ga·cy
ˈpräf-li-gə-sē
: the quality or state of being profligate
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