Noun

(countable) Careless wastefulness.

* 1791, (Thomas Paine), (Rights Of Man)

No question has arisen within the records of history that pressed with the importance of the present.whether man shall inherit his rights, and universal civilisation take place? Whether the fruits of his labours shall be enjoyed by himself or consumed by the profligacy of governments?

* {{quote-book, year=1935, author= George Goodchild

, title=Death on the Centre Court, chapter=1 , passage=She mixed furniture with the same fatal profligacy as she mixed drinks, and this outrageous contact between things which were intended by Nature to be kept poles apart gave her an inexpressible thrill.}}

* {{quote-news, year=2011, date=April 10, author=Alistair Magowan, work=BBC Sport

, title= Aston Villa 1-0 Newcastle , passage=Villa spent most of the second period probing from wide areas and had a succession of corners but despite their profligacy they will be glad to overturn the 6-0 hammering they suffered at St James' Park in August following former boss Martin O'Neill's departure }}

(uncountable) Shameless and immoral behaviour.

* 1749, (Henry Fielding),

He had, indeed, reduced several women to a state of utter profligacy , had broke the hearts of some, and had the honour of occasioning the violent death of one poor girl, who had either drowned herself, or, what was rather more probable, had been drowned by him.

Noun

(en noun)

The act of dissipating or dispersing; a state of dispersion or separation; dispersion; waste.

* Francis Bacon

without loss or dissipation of the matter

* Sir M. Hale

the famous dissipation of mankind

A dissolute course of life, in which health, money, etc., are squandered in pursuit of pleasure; profuseness in vicious indulgence, as late hours, riotous living, etc.; dissoluteness.

* P. Henry

to reclaim the spendthrift from his dissipation and extravagance

* {{quote-book, year=1913, author=

, title=Lord Stranleigh Abroad , chapter=4 citation , passage=“… This is a surprise attack, and I’d no wish that the garrison, forewarned, should escape. I am sure, Lord Stranleigh, that he has been descanting on the distraction of the woods and the camp, or perhaps the metropolitan dissipation of Philadelphia, …”}}

A trifle which wastes time or distracts attention.

* Jonathan Swift

Prevented from finishing them [the letters] a thousand avocations and dissipations .

(physics) A loss of energy, usually as heat, from a dynamic system