What does profligacy mean?
Word: Profligacy
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Profligacy means the wasteful spending of money or resources, without thinking about the future. It is a formal word.
How do you spell profligacy?
Syllables: prof - li - ga - cy
Tricky part: The ending is -acy, as in accuracy and democracy, not -asy or -asey. Profligasy is the usual slip.
Watch out for: profligasy, profligacey
Memory tip: Wasteful spending leaves little at the end, and this word has little at its end too: only c and y for the 'see' sound.
Profligacy in a sentence
Example 1: Aditya's profligacy with his pocket money meant he had nothing left for the school trip.
Example 2: The king's profligacy emptied the royal treasury within ten years.
Example 3: Grandma, who saves every rubber band, teases us about our profligacy with paper towels.
Fun Fact
The word goes back to a Latin verb meaning 'to overthrow' or 'to ruin', which suits a habit that can leave a fortune in ruins.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The captain said that buying a new banner for every single match was sheer proffligacy and had to stop.
a) banner
b) captain
c) proffligacy
d) single
Show answer
c) proffligacy. The word has only one f, as in profit.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
The minister warned that such goraflpicy with public money would leave nothing for new schools.
a) privacy
b) proficiency
c) profligacy
d) prophecy
Show answer
c) profligacy. Proficiency needs an n and an e, prophecy a p, h and e, and privacy a v; profligacy alone uses the l and the g.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word profligacy as used in the sentence:
The family's profligacy during the holiday season puzzled the neighbours.
a) thrift
b) extravagance
c) excess
d) squandering
Show answer
a) thrift. Profligacy throws money away; thrift means using it carefully and saving.
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. economy 2. budjet 3. salary 4. profligacy
a) money paid regularly for doing a job
b) a plan of how much money will be spent
c) the reckless wasting of money
d) the careful use of money and goods
Show answer
b) a plan of how much money will be spent. Budget has a d followed by a g, not a j; profligacy, salary and economy are spelt correctly.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which habit shows profligacy?
a) saving part of each month's salary
b) mending old clothes instead of buying new ones
c) comparing prices before going shopping
d) buying a new phone every few months
Show answer
d) buying a new phone every few months
2. Profligacy most often leads to ____.
a) having extra savings
b) winning a prize for planning
c) running short of money
d) earning a bonus at work
Show answer
c) running short of money
