frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

--v. 3 advance, further, be of profit to, benefit, promote,
aid, help, be advantageous or of advantage, serve, avail,
improve: A few lessons from the club professional could profit
your golf game. 4 Often, profit from. take advantage of, use,
turn to advantage or account, exploit, utilize, make (good) use
of, make capital (out) of, capitalize on, maximize, make the
most of, Slang cash in on: I hope you profit from the
experience. 5 clear, realize, earn, gain, Colloq make a
killing, clean up, rake it in, make a bundle or a packet:
Ernestine profited to the tune of œ100,000 on the sale of her
house.
profitable
adj. 1 beneficial, productive, lucrative, fruitful,
(well-)paying, well-paid, worthwhile, effective, cost-effective,
gainful, remunerative, money-making, rewarding: I had never
thought of being a pavement artist as a profitable enterprise.
Playing professional golf can be very profitable - if you win
tournaments. 2 beneficial, helpful, useful, utilitarian,
valuable, worthwhile, advantageous, productive, rewarding: She
gave me a lot of good advice that I found profitable in my
professional life.
profiteer n. 1 racketeer, exploiter, extortionist, blackmarketeer: The
profiteers turned to selling sugar at exorbitant prices.
--v. 2 overcharge, fleece, exploit, milk, make the most of;
extort; US gouge: The arms dealers are profiteering by selling
banned mat‚riel to the guerrillas.
profligacy
n. 1 debauchery, vice, immorality, sin, sinfulness, wickedness,
evil, dissipation, dissoluteness, degeneracy, licentiousness,
depravity, corruption, promiscuity, lechery, lasciviousness,
lewdness, indecency, perversion, carnality, libertinism,
wantonness, unrestraint, eroticism, sybaritism, voluptuousness,
sensuality: Soho's reputation for profligacy is now much less
deserved. 2 prodigality, extravagance, excess, waste,
wastefulness, recklessness, exorbitance, lavishness,
improvidence, squandering: The profligacy of the French court
at the end of the 17th century was remarkable.