Spendthrift

For the horse, see Spendthrift (horse). For the 1936 film, see Spendthrift (film).
For other uses, see Prodigal (disambiguation).

A spendthrift (also profligate or prodigal) is someone who is extravagant and recklessly wasteful with money, often to a point where the spending climbs well beyond their means. Spendthrift derives from an obsolete sense of the word thrift to mean prosperity rather than frugality,[1] so a "spendthrift" is one who has spent their prosperity.[2]

Historical figures who have been characterised as spendthrifts include George IV of the United Kingdom,[3][4] King Ludwig II of Bavaria,[5] and Marie Antoinette the Queen of France.[6]

The term is often used by news media as an adjective applied to governments who are thought to be wasting public money.[7][8]

  1. ^ thefreedictionary.com, "thrift"
  2. ^ World Wide Words, "how thrift applied to spend can end up being someone who is not thrifty"
  3. ^ "George IV: Art & Spectacle review – A spendthrift with excellent taste". Evening Standard. 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  4. ^ "The two sides of George IV: is his wretched reputation deserved?". HistoryExtra. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  5. ^ Gerhard Hojer (ed.): König Ludwig II.-Museum Herrenchiemsee. Katalog (Munich, 1986, p. 137)
  6. ^ Fraser, Antonia (2001). Marie Antoinette (1st ed.). New York: N.A. Talese/Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-48948-5 p. 226
  7. ^ Westmore, Peter (2011). "Why Portuguese voters punished spendthrift Government" News Weekly, June 25, 2011, accessed 20 November 2012
  8. ^ "In capitals such as Athens, Madrid and Rome, large portions of the sovereign debt racked up by spendthrift governments are owed to the countries' own banks..." Chu, Henry and Lauren Frayer (2012). "Europe's governments, banks perilously entwined: Much of the crushing debt that was racked up by the former is owed to the latter." Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2012, accessed 20 November 2012