Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Wise in handling practical matters; exercising good judgment or common sense.
- adj. Careful in regard to one's own interests; provident.
- adj. Careful about one's conduct; circumspect.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Thoughtful; judicious; sagacious; sensible.
- Careful of self-interest; provident; politic; worldly-wise.
- Discreet; circumspect; decorous.
- Judicious; wise; prudential.
- Synonyms Careful, circumspect, etc. See cautious.
Wiktionary
- adj. Sagacious in adapting means to ends; circumspect in action, or in determining any line of conduct; careful, discreet, sensible; -- opposed to rash; directed by prudence or wise forethought; evincing prudence;
- adj. Practically wise, judicious, shrewd
- adj. Frugal; economical; not extravagant;
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Sagacious in adapting means to ends; circumspect in action, or in determining any line of conduct; practically wise; judicious; careful; discreet; sensible; -- opposed to
rash ; ; dictated or directed by prudence or wise forethought; evincing prudence. - adj. Frugal; economical; not extravagant.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. careful and sensible; marked by sound judgment
Etymologies
- From Middle English, from Middle French prudent, from Latin prūdēns, contracted from prōvidēns ("foresight") (English providence), the past participle of prōvideō ("I forsee"). Unrelated to prude. (Wiktionary)
- Middle English, from Old French, from Latin prūdēns, prūdent-, contraction of prōvidēns, present participle of prōvidēre, to provide for; see provide. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The word prudent will have a very elastic meaning in 2012," said Stephen Green, a Hong Kong-based economist with Standard Chartered Plc.”
“The term prudent "means whatever the appropriate officials want it to mean," Straszheim said, adding that China may aim to contract the money supply and restrict new lending in order to cool the economy.”
“The third and continuing wave is what I call prudent walkaways -- people who can afford the payments for a while longer, by exhausting their 401Ks, childrens' college funds and other savings -- but are now choosing to default before they are financially ruined.”
The Huffington Post: Nicholas Carroll: The Accelerating Shift in Attitudes Towards Home Walkaways
“He indicated all that is not yet in place, but the alliance is doing what he called "prudent planning.”
Voice of America: NATO Considers Options for Humanitarian Intervention in Libya
“FEMA very definitely leaning forward, being what it calls prudent, coordinating planning for evacuation, shelter and emergency operations, with the states and with other agencies of the federal government.”
“I know that the Pentagon has done what they call prudent -- has urged prudent contingency planning and said anyone who can get out safely should get.”
“I aint in love with myself, at all, when I'm sober; and, as for being what you call prudent, why, the thing's onreasonable.”
“The third and continuing wave is what I call prudent walkaways”
“The NATO military command in Afghanistan last month ordered its troops to stop turning over detainees to six Afghan detention centres, including the internal security service facility in Kandahar, as what it called a "prudent measure" in light of the UN findings.”
“The NATO military command in Afghanistan last month ordered its troops to stop turning over detainees to several Afghan prisons and detention centres as what it called a "prudent measure" in light of the UN findings.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘prudent’.
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Test Prep or Just for fun
Building a list for standardized test prep or just for learning some new words! Please add any words that you feel are important for the SAT/GRE/GMAT etc...
throng, morass, parley, facile, kismet, strife, jetsam, carrion, annex, harbinger, vestige, surreptitious and 575 more...
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GRE 2014
abate, abdicate, abase, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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PHIL - vocabulary of thinking
Athenian, Socratic, philosopher, dialogue, philosophy, philosophical, politic, stubborn, bright, smart, thoughtful, extrapolate and 243 more...
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EU Buzz - ALL words and expressions
A combined list of
1. EU Buzz - single words
2. EU Buzz - collocations
3. EU Buzz - the 100 most active
collocation constituentsabsorption capacity, absorption rate, acceding country, accession candidate, accession countries, accession country, accession criteria, accession cycle, accession negotia..., accession partner..., accession priorities, accession treaty and 2650 more...
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Verbal_Advantage
paraphrase, ostensible, digress, uncanny, candor, morose, adept, saturated, pragmatic, congenial, capricious, blatant and 38 more...
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2nd part
prelude, ample, escalate, prototype, accession, acquisition, archives, zealot, indict, verdict, intimidating, timid and 454 more...
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EU Buzz - single words (1+2+3)
1. Strictly EU terms with special European meaning used only in the EU
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2. Keywords central to the understanding of the EU (people working for the EU are usually able to give thematic...acceleration, action, additionality, administrator, agenda, agricultural, agri-environmental, agriflation, agri-food, applicant, approach, assent and 1325 more...
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vocab 2
accrue, lenity, pellucid, smitten, implore, scrupulous, recalcitrant, melancholy, trudge, reverie, convivial, corrigible and 19 more...
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gre words
convoluted, deride, melancholy, antagonize, antagonize, deference, portentous, prodigious, ruminate, ineffable, turgid, mossy and 58 more...
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Sarah's words
adept, pedagogic, pedagogy, discerning, genuine, articulate, collaboration, enterprise, sterile, asunder, prudent, imprudent and 19 more...
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gre2
aberrant, aberration, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate and 1827 more...
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Words
My list of words.
veritable, facetious, nadir, quixotic, apropos, acquiesce, ostensible, insipid, egregious, inveterate, coax, adroit and 409 more...
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Personal Vocabulary List
All my favourite words that I come across!
veritable, incongruence, rigamorole, letcherous, revolting, repulsive, reputrid, rapatious, forays, guise, placate, paradigm and 1162 more...
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1stDay
lucid, tenacious, adhesive, cling, reconcile, scenic, picturesque, inundate, gastrointestinal, diarrhea, heredity, alimentary canal and 89 more...
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SAT Vocab
Redundant.
problematic, proclivity, prodigal, prodigious, prodigy, profane, profligate, profound, profusion, proliferation, prolific, prologue and 455 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for prudent.
chaneljones this word seems werid to the english laguage Oct 1, 2009
chaneljones i need an example for prudent Oct 1, 2009
ampdigitl it's prudent to update your registration when you live downstairs from a state trooper... Feb 17, 2009
brtom Why, to be sure, a tale of scandal is as fatal to the credit of a prudent lady of her stamp as a fever is generally to those of the strongest constitutions.
Sheridan, School for Scandal Jan 6, 2008