"Profligate development" typically refers to an excessive or wasteful form of urban development, often associated with a disregard for environmental, social, or economic sustainability. It implies a reckless or extravagant approach to growth or expansion that can have negative consequences.

For example, the rapid and profligate development of luxury resorts along a fragile coastline of a country can result in severe environmental degradation and displaced local communities. The development could harm the local ecosystem and potentially decrease the biodiversity of the area.

Although not as common, "profligate development" can also be used in biology to mean the rapid growth or advancement of a disease or any other biological condition or process. If a treatment causes more profligate development of cancer, that means the treatment makes the cancer spread at a faster rate, which would be an unfavorable result.

Example sentences

  1. The profligate development of factories along the riverbanks led to severe pollution in the once-pristine waters.
  2. Environmental activists protested against the profligate development of national parks, advocating for stricter regulations.
  3. Many residents were concerned about the profligate development of skyscrapers, which blocked sunlight and increased traffic congestion in the city.
  4. In the face of profligate development, conservationists worked tirelessly to preserve the region's natural habitats.
  5. The profligate development of shopping malls led to the decline of small, local businesses in the area.
  6. The profligate development of suburban neighborhoods encroached upon farmland and green spaces.
  7. The community came together to address the profligate development of vacation rentals, which threatened the sense of community in the town.
  8. The profligate development of golf courses in arid regions raised concerns about water usage and conservation.
  9. Urban planners sought to balance economic growth with responsible development to avoid profligate expansion.
  10. The profligate development of luxury resorts along the coastline displaced local communities and disrupted ecosystems.

Want to sound like a native speaker?

Engram’s AI-powered grammar checker makes your English sound like a native speaker’s, suggesting natural English expressions on top of fixing grammar, spelling, punctuation, word order, and vocabulary.

Free Grammar Checker
Check your grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word usage errors with Engram’s free online grammar checker using AI

Reference:

From Nero to Net Zero
Boris Johnson’s calculated error: climate migration and civilisation collapse, from Ancient Rome to COP26.
A Potential Link between Environmental Triggers and Autoimmunity
Autoimmune diseases have registered an alarming rise worldwide in recent years. Accumulated evidence indicates that the immune system’s ability to distinguish self from nonself is negatively impacted by genetic factors and environmental triggers. Genetics…
profligate
1. spending money or using something in a way that wastes it and is not wise…
development
1. the process in which someone or something grows or changes and becomes more…