XXIV:THE EXTREMISTS.

XXIV: The Extremists

Continuing from our last discussion, let’s talk about profligacy—a fancy word for spending wastefully. The opposite of that? Being thrifty, which means being frugal or economical. In short:

Economical = Thrifty = Frugal (all synonyms!)

Now, just as a prodigal person is never frugal, a liar is never honest (veracious), a dunce is never wise (sagacious), and a sage is never foolish (fatuous). That gives us some fun analogies:

• Prodigal : Frugal

• Liar : Veracious

• Sage : Fatuous

• Dunce : Sagacious

And if we look at their noun forms:

• Prodigality vs. Frugality

• Stupidity vs. Sagacity

• Dishonesty vs. Veracity

When Thrift Goes Too Far...

Being frugal is great—until it turns into miserliness. A miser takes thrift to the extreme, and we have plenty of words for them:

Miser = Niggard = Skinflint = Tight-fist = Cheapstake

That makes a miser a kind of extremist. But what about other people who take things too far?

---

Meet the Extremists!

Each of the following people takes a trait to its extreme:

• Gourmand : Appetite (eats way too much)

• Chauvinist : Patriotism (thinks their country is superior to all others)

• Wastrel : Generosity (spends excessively)

• Bigot : Bias (refuses to see beyond their own views)

• Usurer : Interest (charges ridiculous loan rates)

• Gouger : Price (overprices everything)

• Paranoid : Suspicion (trusts no one)

• Quixote : Idealism (sees the world as a fairy tale)

• Zealot : Passion (too enthusiastic—often fanatical)

• Skeptic : Doubt (questions everything, even the obvious)

• Idolater : Admiration (worships people a little too much)

• Dupe : Trust (believes anything they hear)

• Toady : Compliance (a shameless flatterer)

---

A Final Analogy

Just like being too obedient makes someone servile, being too frugal makes someone miserly.

• Compliant → Servile (too obedient)

• Frugal → Penurious (too stingy)

So, while thrift is good, remember—too much of anything can lead to the extreme!

---