prudent

adjective

pru·dent ˈprü-dᵊnt

Synonyms of prudent

: characterized by, arising from, or showing prudence: such as

: marked by wisdom or judiciousness

prudent advice

: shrewd in the management of practical affairs

prudent investors

: marked by circumspection : discreet

: provident, frugal

prudently adverb

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It Is Prudent to Read Up on This Word History

Prudent arrived in Middle English around the 14th century and traces back, by way of Middle French, to the Latin verb providēre, meaning "to see ahead, foresee, provide (for). "Providēre" combines pro-, meaning "before, and vidēre, meaning "to see, and it may look familiar to you; it is also the source of our "provide," "provident," "provision," and "improvise." "Vidēre" also has many English offspring, including "evident," "supervise," "video," and "vision."

Choose the Right Synonym for prudent

wise, sage, sapient, judicious, prudent, sensible, sane mean having or showing sound judgment.

wise suggests great understanding of people and of situations and unusual discernment and judgment in dealing with them.

wise beyond his tender years

sage suggests wide experience, great learning, and wisdom.

the sage advice of my father

sapient suggests great sagacity and discernment.

the sapient musings of an old philosopher

judicious stresses a capacity for reaching wise decisions or just conclusions.

judicious parents using kindness and discipline in equal measure

prudent suggests the exercise of restraint guided by sound practical wisdom and discretion.

a prudent decision to wait out the storm

sensible applies to action guided and restrained by good sense and rationality.

a sensible woman who was not fooled by flattery

sane stresses mental soundness, rationality, and levelheadedness.

remained sane even in times of crises

Examples of prudent in a Sentence

An endless war is not always the most moral or the most prudent course of action. —Richard A. Posner, New Republic, 2 Sept. 2002

We missed the Mass for St. Rose of Lima, who, though prudent, had failed to be martyred and was therefore only second-string. —Darryl Pinckney, High Cotton, 1992

Prudent burners take several precautions. Burning one of two bordering fields, they wet the edge of one or the other, usually the one being burned, to prevent the flames from jumping. —Alec Wilkinson, Big Sugar, 1989

Since the inexplicable power of a magnetized needle to "find" the north smacked of black magic … . For many decades the prudent sea captain consulted his compass secretly. —Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

But most other Fed officials believe the prudent move would be to wait on lowering interest rates until there is a more material deterioration in labor markets. —Rob Wile, NBC news, 7 May 2025 Analysts said with all the uncertainty, taking a more cautious view is prudent right now. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025 In the face of policy zig-zags and on-again/off-again pronouncements, the prudent stance is to hold fast, keep one’s powder dry and avoid further risk. —Jerrold Lundquist, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025 If strategists have little or no confidence that a prospective war can be kept short, then arguably the only prudent policy is not to fight it at all. —Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for prudent