Profligacy

[Grogie]

This is another word that, unfortunately, doesn,t get used enough. It refers to immoral or shameless behavior.

[Apoclima]

profligacy

noun

1. Excessive freedom; lack of restraint: dissoluteness, dissolution, libertinism, license, licentiousness. See restraint/unrestraint.
2. Excessive or imprudent expenditure: extravagance, extravagancy, lavishness, prodigality, profuseness, profusion, squander, waste, wastefulness. See careful/careless, save/waste.

Apo

[Flaminius]

Profligate son appears to me the collocation where a derivative of profligacy is used most frequently. Though the expression itself is far out-numbered by prodigal son according to Google.

[Grogie]

Thanks for the information Apoclima and Flaminius.

[tcward]

Yes, I've heard the form profligate used, but never profligacy. But I've never heard 'profligate son' in place of 'prodigal son'.

-Tim