SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
prudence
noun
Careful practical judgment that considers consequences.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Careful practical judgment
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topPrudence weighs practical consequences. Caution emphasizes avoiding danger; restraint describes limiting action rather than the judgment behind it.
RELATED FORMS, ONE FEATURED ENTRY
The prudent family
prudence is grouped under prudent in the main dictionaries. This form keeps its meaning and previous study record.
prudentadjective
Showing sensible care and attention to possible consequences.
Sensible and careful
Closest synonyms
Related expressions
It seemed prudent to keep a copy of the signed agreement.
When an oral-history group received a box of recordings, Ben made an impetuous promise to transcribe everything by the weekend. He had not checked the recordings' length or condition. His colleague suggested a prudent first step: complete one short sample and estimate the remaining work.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See prudence in use
Prudence led the hikers to turn back before the storm.
Noor thought prudence required comparing the purpose and consequences of each expense.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license