prudence

CEFRB2

/ˈpɹuːd(ə)n(t)s/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    Careful judgment that avoids unnecessary risks and problems.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    Synonym of frugality (“the quality of avoiding unnecessary expenditure; economy, parsimony, thrift, thriftiness”).

Examples

  • A man of prudence wouldn't say such things.

  • It is clear that he failed for lack of prudence.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈpɹud(ə)n(t)s/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Synonym of providence (“preparation for the future; foresight”).

  2. The quality or state of being prudent: circumspection and good judgment in knowing how best to act; (countable, archaic) an instance of this.

  3. Synonym of wisdom (“an element of personal character that enables one to distinguish the wise from the unwise; wise advice”).

More examples

In context

  • Prudence, like experience, must be paid for.

  • Children here ye the fathers diſcipline, and attend that you may knovve prudence.

  • "You mistake," cried the doctor, startled out of all his prudences; "it ought to be my business quite as much as it is yours."

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The investor showed great blank by carefully researching the market before buying shares.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English prudence (“discretion; foresight; knowledge; intelligence, wisdom; act of good judgment; wisdom to see what is virtuous”), from Anglo-Norman prudence, Middle French prudence, and Old French prudence (“common sense; wisdom”) (modern French prudence), and from their etymon Latin prūdentia (“common sense; discretion, prudence; foresight; knowledge; providence; skilfulness; wisdom”), from prūdent- (the stem of prūdēns (“knowledgeable, skilful; wise, prudent”)) + -ia (suffix forming first-declension feminine abstract nouns). Prūdēns is a contraction of prōvidēns (“caring for; foreseeing; providing”) (whence prōvidentia (“foreknowledge, foresight; forethought, precaution, prov...