SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
prudent
adjective
Showing sensible care and attention to possible consequences.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Sensible and careful
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topPrudent choices consider consequences and avoid unnecessary risk. Farsighted specifically emphasizes future effects.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See prudent in use
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.
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