prudence

Meaning

1. (uncountable) The quality or state of being prudent: circumspection and good judgment in knowing how best to act; (countable, archaic) an instance of this.
2. (specifically, uncountable) Synonym of frugality (“the quality of avoiding unnecessary expenditure; economy, parsimony, thrift, thriftiness”).
3. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Synonym of providence (“preparation for the future; foresight”).
4. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Synonym of wisdom (“an element of personal character that enables one to distinguish the wise from the unwise; wise advice”).

Opposite of

imprudence, rashness, recklessness, unprudence

Synonyms

caution

discretion

wisdom

circumspection

wariness

carefulness

care

foresight

policy

judiciousness

sense

generalship

thoughtfulness

discreetness

reason

deliberation

precaution

tact

economy

chariness

heed

heedfulness

shrewdness

sagacity

thrift

farsightedness

worldly wisdom

discrimination

resourcefulness

anxiety

sageness

saneness

saving

self-control

self-possession

self-respect

sensibleness

skilfulness

solidity

stinginess

thoughtful

understanding

wakefulness

wits

good judgment

practical wisdom

intelligence

right course

astute

attention

Translations

prudence

prudencia

prudenza

Umsicht

Vorsicht

sagesse

voorzichtigheid

prudência

Klugheit

précaution

beleid

omzichtigheid

σύνεση

circunspección

Besonnenheit

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈpɹuːdəns/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: prudence

In summary

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, providence”)), the present active participle of prōvideō (“to care for, look after; to foresee; to provide, see to”), from prō- (prefix meaning ‘forward; prior’) + videō (“to perceive, see; to comprehend, understand; to look out for, care for”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see; to know”)). Doublet of provide and purvey.