Meaning & use
frivolous spender
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountabledisapproving
A person who regularly wastes money on things that are not necessary or useful.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a frivolous spender' or 'frivolous spenders'.
Patterns
- be a frivolous spender
- a frivolous spender on something
Her friends call her a frivolous spender because she buys a new handbag every month.
As a frivolous spender, he never checks prices before paying.
The article warns young adults not to become frivolous spenders.
Word forms
| plural | frivolous spenders |
|---|
Common combinations
- a frivolous spender on luxuries
- He is a frivolous spender on luxuries he rarely uses.
- notoriously frivolous spender
- She was a notoriously frivolous spender in her twenties.
- a frivolous spender with money
- A frivolous spender with money soon runs out of it.
- call someone a frivolous spender
- His brothers call him a frivolous spender, but he says he is just generous.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spendthrift
- Spendthrift is stronger and more formal, suggesting someone who wastes money recklessly and may end up in debt.
- big spender
- Big spender is neutral or admiring and stresses spending a lot, not wasting it on silly things.
Opposites
Word family
- frivolously adverb
- In a way that shows a lack of seriousness or good judgment.
- frivolity noun
- Behavior or an activity that is silly and not serious or useful.
- frivolous adjective
- Not serious, sensible, or useful, especially about spending or behavior.
Commonly confused: frivolous spender or frivolous spending?
frivolous spender vs frivolous spending
This is the activity of wasting money; 'frivolous spender' is the person who does it.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'frivolous spender' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Frivolous spender' is a countable noun phrase, so it needs an article after 'is' and can be followed by 'on'. Option 2 uses it as a verb, option 3 needs 'a more frivolous spender', and option 4 needs the plural 'frivolous spenders'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “frivolous spender”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.