profligacy

C2+ Topic:Describing People

US /ˈprɑflɪɡəsi/ UK /ˈprɒflɪɡəsi/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
reckless extravagance or wastefulness, especially with money

His financial profligacy soon emptied the family coffers.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · reckless extravagance or... extravagance wastefulness prodigality dissipation debauchery squandering licentiousness

Opposites

frugality thrift temperance prudence

Word family

Related forms profligate

Etymology

From profligate (from Latin profligatus 'dissolute, ruined', past participle of profligare 'to strike down, ruin', from pro- 'forth, down' + fligere 'to strike') + the suffix -cy.

profligare Latin fligere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing People Word Formation & Derivatives

# profligacy

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈprɑflɪɡəsi
**IPA (UK):** ˈprɒflɪɡəsi

## Meanings
1. reckless extravagance or wastefulness, especially with money

## Examples
- His financial profligacy soon emptied the family coffers.

## Synonyms
- extravagance
- wastefulness
- prodigality
- dissipation
- debauchery
- squandering
- licentiousness

## Antonyms
- frugality
- thrift
- temperance
- prudence

## Related Forms
- profligate

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: profligare
- Root: fligere

## Etymology
From profligate (from Latin profligatus 'dissolute, ruined', past participle of profligare 'to strike down, ruin', from pro- 'forth, down' + fligere 'to strike') + the suffix -cy.

## AI Etymology
Profligacy is from profligate (from Latin profligatus 'dissolute, ruined', past participle of profligare 'to strike down, ruin', from pro- 'forth, down' + fligere 'to strike') + the suffix -cy. Important recorded forms include profligare (Latin) and fligere (Latin). Morphologically, the word preserves a built structure whose named elements carry the historical sense into English. The modern sense remains close to that composition, with the parts narrowing into a single lexical item. In current use it covers reckless extravagance or wastefulness, especially with money. The wider family includes related words such as profligate.

## Topics
- Describing People
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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profligacy

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