profligate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Skepticism about the wisdom of these profligate plans are a problem for indexes that are heavily weighted toward big tech like the S&P 500, which ended the week slightly lower.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

His son David speculated that his dad’s mixed feelings about his fast-food career stemmed from a mentality common among children of the Depression: “Excess bothered them. It almost seemed profligate and unnecessary,” he explained.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

In Japan, a weaker yen appears to be a symptom of a broader economic and financial rebalancing underway as interest rates normalize, inflation picks up, economic green shoots appear, and Tokyo’s fiscal policies remain profligate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

Captain Dan Sheehan, Tomos Williams and Elliot Daly scored in a first half largely dominated by the profligate hosts in terms of territory but not on the scoreboard.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2025

Although he possessed extraordinary reserves of energy, he’d been profligate with those reserves, and by the time he got to Camp Four they were nearly depleted.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer