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prudent

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Prudent

English

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Etymology

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Inherited from Middle English prudent, from Old French prudent, from Latin prūdēns, contracted from prōvidēns (“foresight”) (English providence), the present participle of prōvideō (“to forsee; to provide for”). Unrelated to prude. Doublet of provident.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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prudent (comparative more prudent, superlative most prudent)

  1. Sagacious in adapting means to ends; circumspect in action, or in determining any line of conduct.
    Synonyms: careful, considerate, discreet; see also Thesaurus:cautious
    Antonyms: see Thesaurus:careless, Thesaurus:reckless
    It is prudent to consult a physician before beginning any new exercise regimen.
    • 1643, J[ohn] M[ilton], The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce: […], London: […] T[homas] P[aine] and M[atthew] S[immons] […], →OCLC, page 26:
      Moſes, […] eſtabliſht a grave and prudent Law, […].
    • 1864, Jules Verne, chapter 30, in Around the World in 80 Days‎[2], archived from the original on 12 April 2012:
      He did not hesitate what to do. It would be prudent to continue on to Omaha, for it would be dangerous to return to the train, which the Indians might still be engaged in pillaging.
  2. Practically wise, judicious, shrewd.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:wise
    Antonyms: see Thesaurus:foolish
    His prudent career moves reliably brought him to the top.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 22:3–3, column 2:
      A prudent man foreſeeth the euill, and hideth himſelfe: but the ſimple paſſe on, and are puniſhed.
      New International Version translation: The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
    • 2025 March 5, Dr Joseph Brennan, “Remembering Brunel's timber viaducts”, in RAIL, number 1030, page 60:
      The history of cast iron in railway bridges is much more grimly chequered. Brunel's misgivings were proved prudent, tragically, in the 1879 failure of Thomas Bouch's Tay bridge (once a monument to cast iron, now a memorial to many lives lost).
  3. (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:) Frugal; economical; not extravagant.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:frugal
    Antonyms: extravagant; see also Thesaurus:prodigal
    Only prudent expenditure may provide quality within a restrictive budget.

Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “prudent”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN, page 1420, column 1.
  2. ^ According to: “Book VII: Characters Other Than Virtue and Vice: X”, in Nicomachean Ethics, 22 October 2018: “It is impossible for the same man to be at once prudent and incontinent; for we have shown that man cannot be prudent without being at the same time morally good.”

Further reading

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  • “prudent”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

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Catalan

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Etymology

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    Borrowed from Latin prūdentem. First attested in 1460.

    Pronunciation

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    Adjective

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    prudent m or f (masculine and feminine plural prudents)

    1. prudent

    Derived terms

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    Further reading

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    French

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    Etymology

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      Learned borrowing from Latin prūdentem.

      Pronunciation

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      Adjective

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      prudent (feminine prudente, masculine plural prudents, feminine plural prudentes)

      1. prudent
        Antonym: imprudent

      Derived terms

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      Descendants

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      • Haitian Creole: pridan
      • → Romanian: prudent

      Further reading

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      Occitan

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      Etymology

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        Derived from Latin prūdentem. First attested in the 12th century[1]

        Pronunciation

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        This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

        Adjective

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        prudent m (feminine singular prudenta, masculine plural prudents, feminine plural prudentas)

        1. prudent
          Antonym: imprudent

        Derived terms

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        References

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        1. ^ Diccionari General de la Lenga Occitana‎[1], L’Academia occitana – Consistòri del Gai Saber, 2008-2025, page 528

        Further reading

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        • Joan de Cantalausa (2006), Diccionari general occitan a partir dels parlars lengadocians‎[3], 2nd edition, →ISBN, page 789

        Piedmontese

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        Etymology

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          Ultimately from Latin prūdentem.

          Pronunciation

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          • IPA(key): /pry.dɛŋt/
          • Hyphenation: pru‧dent

          Adjective

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          prudent

          1. prudent

          Further reading

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          • “prudent” in Grande Dizionario Piemontese Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication.

          Romanian

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          Etymology

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            Borrowed from French prudent.

            Pronunciation

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            • IPA(key): /pruˈdent/
            • Audio:(file)
            • Rhymes: -ent
            • Hyphenation: pru‧dent

            Adjective

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            prudent m or n (feminine singular prudentă, masculine plural prudenți, feminine/neuter plural prudente)

            1. prudent
              Synonyms: precaut, atent, îngrijit

            Declension

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            Declension of prudent
            singular plural
            masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
            nominative-
            accusative             		indefinite prudent prudentă prudenți prudente
            definite prudentul prudenta prudenții prudentele
            genitive-
            dative             		indefinite prudent prudente prudenți prudente
            definite prudentului prudentei prudenților prudentelor
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            Further reading

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