spendthrift

[ spend-thrift ]

noun

1. a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; prodigal.

adjective

1. wastefully extravagant; prodigal.

   Synonyms: profligate, improvident, wasteful

spendthrift

/ ˈspɛndˌθrɪft /

noun

1. a person who spends money in an extravagant manner

adjective

1. usually prenominal of or like a spendthrift

   spendthrift economies

Word History and Origins

Origin of spendthrift¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; spend + thrift

Word History and Origins

Origin of spendthrift¹

C17: from spend + thrift

Example Sentences

Trusts also allow you to put restrictions on how money is spent, which can be important if your heir is a minor child, a spendthrift or someone reliant on public benefits.

From Los Angeles Times

The U.S. government is hardly a spendthrift with arts dollars, but what if it were to pony up for the industry again?

From New York Times

And the frustrations certainly aren’t new to those fans, who have watched this spendthrift organization reach the postseason just once in the past 22 years.

From Seattle Times

Chantel Chapman, a 40-year-old entrepreneur in Richmond, British Columbia, was once a spendthrift in this way.

From New York Times

But explicit taxes are politically unpopular, and many citizens wouldn’t approve of excessive government spending if they simultaneously had to pay high taxes to finance their spendthrift government.

From Washington Times