All 6 Uses of
prudent
in
Bartleby, the Scrivener: a Story of Wall Street
- The late John Jacob Astor, a personage little given to poetic enthusiasm, had no hesitation in pronouncing my first grand point to be prudence; my next, method.†
prudence = good sense and caution
- Revolving all these things, and coupling them with the recently discovered fact that he made my office his constant abiding place and home, and not forgetful of his morbid moodiness; revolving all these things, a prudential feeling began to steal over me.†
prudential = arising from or characterized by being sensible and careful
- But I thought it prudent not to break the dismission at once.†
- I was now in such a state of nervous resentment that I thought it but prudent to check myself at present from further demonstrations.†
*
- I remembered the tragedy of the unfortunate Adams and the still more unfortunate Colt in the solitary office of the latter; and how poor Colt, being dreadfully incensed by Adams, and imprudently permitting himself to get wildly excited, was at unawares hurried into his fatal act—an act which certainly no man could possibly deplore more than the actor himself.†
imprudently = in a manner that lacks good sense and cautionstandard prefix: The prefix "im-" in imprudently means not and reverses the meaning of prudently. This prefix is sometimes used before words beginning with "M" or "P" as seen in words like immoral, immature, and impossible.
- Aside from higher considerations, charity often operates as a vastly wise and prudent principle—a great safeguard to its possessor.†
Definitions:
-
(1)
(prudent) sensible and careful
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Prudence is also a female name.