prudent

Intermediatezipf 3.41

Pronunciation

/ˈpruːdənt/(PROO-dunt)

Part of speech

adjectiveformal

Chinese

审慎的；明智的；精明的

Definition

Acting with or showing care and thought for the future; wise in practical affairs.

Word family

  • prudence/ˈpruːdəns/(n)审慎
  • prudently(adv)审慎地
  • prudential/pruːˈdɛnʃəl/(adj)审慎的

Collocations

  • prudent decision
  • prudent approach
  • prudent investor
  • prudent to
  • financially prudent

Examples

  1. 1.It would be prudent to save at least six months of expenses before quitting your job. (wise, cautious)
  2. 2.A prudent investor diversifies their portfolio rather than putting all their money into a single stock. (careful)

Synonyms

  • wise/waɪz/— having good judgment — simpler
  • cautious/ˈkɔːʃəs/— careful to avoid problems
  • judicious/dʒuːˈdɪʃəs/— having good judgment — very close

Etymology

from Latin "prudens" (foreseeing, wise) — contraction of "providens" (foreseeing) — "pro-" (forward) + "videre" (to see) — seeing ahead