Word: profligate (adjective, sometimes noun)

Associations

"Profligate" means very wasteful, especially with money or resources. It describes someone who spends too much or uses things carelessly.

• She was profligate with her inheritance, spending it all in a year. (Shows wasteful spending)
• The company's profligate use of energy led to high costs. (Shows careless use of resources)
• He lived a profligate lifestyle, buying luxury items he didn't need. (Shows excessive and wasteful behavior)

Synonym: "wasteful" is a common synonym. The difference is "profligate" often has a stronger sense of reckless or immoral waste, not just careless.

Substitution

You can replace "profligate" with:

• wasteful (less strong, more general)
• extravagant (focuses on spending a lot, sometimes positive like stylish)
• reckless (focuses more on careless behavior, less on money)

Changing the word changes the tone. "Profligate" sounds very negative and serious about waste.

Deconstruction

"Profligate" comes from Latin "profligare," meaning "to strike down, ruin." It combines:

• "pro-" meaning "forward" or "thoroughly"
• "fligere" meaning "to strike" Originally it meant someone ruined by bad habits or waste.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when someone was profligate with money or resources?
• How is being profligate different from just being careless?
• Why do you think people might become profligate? What could stop them?