Spendthrift: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Spendthrift noun. A person who spends money recklessly and wastefully.
How to say it
SPEND-thrift/ˈspɛn(d)θrɪft/
2 syllables, stressed on the first (SPEND).
Spendthrift in a sentence
A notorious spendthrift, he once hired a helicopter to fetch his forgotten sunglasses.
The spendthrift duke left his heirs a castle and a mountain of debt.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- wastrel
- squanderer
- big spender
- prodigal
Opposite:
- miser
- saver
Where spendthrift comes from
From spend plus thrift in its old sense of savings or prosperity.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The _____ duke left his heirs a castle and a mountain of debt.
- gentrification
- spendthrift
- wherewithal
Show the answer
spendthrift: The spendthrift duke left his heirs a castle and a mountain of debt.