Translation guide
The English word 'profligate' has two main uses: describing wasteful spending (often with money) and describing morally dissolute behavior. This guide separates these meanings and provides natural Japanese equivalents for each.
Describing a person, action, or lifestyle characterized by extravagant and wasteful spending.
A noun meaning 'wasteful person' or 'spendthrift'. This is the most direct and common equivalent for a profligate person in the financial sense.
He inherited a fortune, but he was profligate and quickly spent it all.
A na-adjective/noun meaning 'profligate', 'negligent', or 'lax', often used in financial contexts like 'profligate management' or 'profligate spending'. It implies a lack of discipline.
The company went bankrupt due to profligate management.
A noun/suru-verb meaning 'squandering' or 'dissipation' of a fortune. It is more literary and emphasizes the complete wasting of resources.
He profligately squandered his inheritance.
A common phrase meaning 'to spend money freely/wastefully'. It describes the behavior rather than the person, but can be used attributively.
She is profligate with money, so she's always broke at the end of the month.
Describing a person or behavior that is sexually promiscuous or morally degenerate.
A noun/na-adjective meaning 'dissipation', 'profligacy', or 'debauchery'. It covers both financial waste and moral looseness, but is often used for a dissolute lifestyle.
In his youth, he lived a completely profligate life.
A na-adjective meaning 'licentious', 'dissolute', or 'slovenly'. It strongly implies moral looseness, especially in sexual conduct.
A na-adjective meaning 'self-indulgent', 'dissipated', or 'debauched'. It emphasizes a lack of self-discipline and moral decay.
A noun/na-adjective meaning 'licentiousness' or 'debauchery', with a strong focus on sexual immorality. It is quite literary and strong.
There is no single Japanese word that perfectly covers both the financial and moral senses of 'profligate' with the same nuance. Choose the term based on the specific context. Using 放蕩 for financial waste alone might sound odd; stick to 浪費家 or 放漫 for money matters.
放蕩 is more formal and often appears in written language or historical contexts. ふしだら is more colloquial and carries a stronger judgmental tone about personal morals, especially sexual behavior.
ふしだらな生活を送っていると、信用を失うよ。
If you lead a profligate life, you'll lose people's trust.
Stop your profligate ways.
その小説は貴族の淫蕩な生活を描いている。
The novel depicts the profligate lives of the aristocracy.