prodigalize
Definition
- Verb:
- To spend or waste money, resources, or time recklessly and extravagantly: "prodigalize" means to use something in a lavish, wasteful, or overly generous manner, often without regard for consequences or limits.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- He prodigalized his inheritance on luxury cars and vacations. (He wasted his inherited wealth on expensive, unnecessary items.)
- The government should not prodigalize taxpayers' money on inefficient projects. (The government should not waste public funds on poorly planned initiatives.)
- She tends to prodigalize her energy on trivial tasks, leaving none for important work. (She spends her energy carelessly on unimportant things.)
Advanced Usage
- "to prodigalize one's talents": to waste or misuse one's abilities.
- He prodigalized his musical talent by refusing to practice or perform. (He squandered his natural skill through neglect.)
Variants and Related Words
- Prodigal (adj): spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant.
- The prodigal son returned home after wasting all his money. (The son who spent recklessly came back.)
- Prodigality (n): the quality of being recklessly extravagant or wasteful.
- His prodigality led to financial ruin. (His wasteful spending caused bankruptcy.)
- Prodigalize (v): the verb form, as defined above.
Synonyms
- Squander: to waste something, especially money or time, in a reckless and foolish manner.
- Dissipate: to waste or fritter away (money, resources, or energy).
- Fritter away: to waste something gradually, especially on trivial things.
Phrasal Verbs
Related Idioms
- Spend money like water: to spend money very freely and lavishly.
- He prodigalizes his salary like water, buying whatever catches his eye. (He wastes his earnings without restraint.)
- Burn through money: to spend money very quickly, especially wastefully.
- She prodigalized her savings, burning through them within months. (She used up her savings extravagantly.)