1500-1600Latin past participle of profligare ‘to strike down’
Examples
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
profligate spending of the taxpayer's money
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
Although the sources are not profligate with information, it is possible to reach a more differentiated picture.
At a time when vast tracts were unsettled, it was all too easy for governments to be profligate.
How can we make our use of praise discriminating and therefore meaningful, rather than profligate or ritualized?
In her day at the parsonage the consumption of butter and eggs was not so profligate.
The implication of this is that the more profligate councils will not be re-elected.
This profligate recipe for survival is used by many animals of many kinds.
Would not that be threatened only by the advent of a Labour Government, with their profligate spending plans?
1wasting money or other things in a careless waySYN wasteful: profligate spending the profligate use of energy resources2behaving in an immoral way and not caring that your behaviour is bad—profligacy noun [uncountable]—profligate noun [countable]