profligate

profligate — 形容詞

IPA/ˈprɒflɪɡət/
KK[prˈɔflɪɡˌet]IPA/ˈprɑːflɪɡət/
  • profligatepositive
  • more profligatecomparative
  • most profligatesuperlative

1. using money, time, or materials without enough thought or care, so that they are

1.形容詞C1
釋義

揮霍的

浪費金錢或資源且不節制的

using money, time, or materials without enough thought or care, so that they are simply wasted and little good comes from them.

例句

The committee criticised the former CEO for his profligate use of company money on private jets and luxury holidays.

委員會批評前任執行長揮霍公司資金，用於私人飛機和豪華假期。

After losing his job, Andrés finally admitted that his profligate spending on designer clothes had been a serious mistake.

Andrés 失業後才終於承認，自己揮霍金錢購買名牌服飾是個嚴重的錯誤。

collocation: profligate spending

同義詞
  • wasteful

    more common and less formal; simply means using too much without care

  • extravagant

    focuses on spending more than is necessary, often for luxury items

  • lavish

    suggests generous abundance; can be positive when describing hospitality

  • reckless

    more general; emphasises lack of concern about consequences

反義詞
  • frugal

    careful with money and resources

  • thrifty

    using money and goods carefully and wisely

  • economical

    not spending more than necessary

文法句型

be profligate with [resources]

profligate in [activity]

用法筆記

Commonly appears before a noun describing a resource that is being wasted, such as 'spending', 'use', or 'waste'. Frequently used in formal criticism of institutions or governments.

常見錯誤

❌He is very profligate to buy a new phone.
✅He is very profligate with his money
💡he buys a new phone every few weeks.' — Profligate is not followed by a to-infinitive; use 'with' to show what is being wasted.
❌The profligate weather destroyed the crops.
✅The profligate use of pesticides destroyed the soil.
💡Profligate describes wasteful human behaviour, not natural events.

2. showing a complete lack of moral restraint, especially through excessive drinkin

2.形容詞C1
釋義

放蕩的

行為不檢、道德敗壞的

showing a complete lack of moral restraint, especially through excessive drinking, casual sex, gambling, or other forms of self-indulgence that most people consider unacceptable.

例句

The novel tells the story of a profligate prince who spends his nights drinking and gambling away the family fortune.

這本小說講述了一位放蕩王子的故事，他每晚飲酒作樂，賭光了家族的財產。

typical context: profligate prince / lifestyle / behaviour

Harper left her profligate lifestyle behind when she moved to a small village and began working on an organic farm.

Harper 搬到一個小村莊並開始在有機農場工作後，拋棄了過去放蕩的生活方式。

同義詞
  • dissolute

    more formal and literary; strong emphasis on immoral pleasure-seeking

  • licentious

    specifically about ignoring sexual moral rules

  • debauched

    implies corruption through excessive pleasure

  • immoral

    broader and more common; covers any violation of moral principles

反義詞
  • virtuous

    having high moral standards

  • upright

    behaving in a morally correct way

  • principled

    acting according to strong moral beliefs

文法句型

profligate + noun (lifestyle/behaviour)

用法筆記

Usually describes behaviour, lifestyle, or periods in history. More morally judgmental than 'wasteful' and stronger than 'immoral'. Common in literary and historical contexts.

常見錯誤

❌He was profligate to lie about the accident.
✅He lived a profligate life full of lies and deception.
💡Profligate describes a general pattern of behaviour, not a single bad action.
❌She felt profligate after eating too much cake.
✅She felt guilty after eating too much cake.
💡Profligate implies sustained moral failing, not occasional overindulgence.

profligate — 名詞

IPA/ˈprɒf.lɪ.ɡət/
KK[prˈɔflɪɡˌet]IPA/ˈprɑː.flɪ.ɡət/