Step 1: Understanding the meaning of "profligacy".
"Profligacy" means reckless wastefulness or extravagant indulgence, especially in terms of money or resources. It refers to being wasteful or extravagant.
Step 2: Analyzing the options.
(A) Extravagance: This is similar in meaning to "profligacy", as it refers to excessive spending or behavior, and thus it is not the opposite.
(B) Lucrative: This word refers to something that is profitable or financially rewarding, which is not related to the concept of profligacy. It is not the opposite.
(C) Rhetoric: "Rhetoric" refers to the art of speaking or writing effectively. It has no direct connection to "profligacy", and it is not its opposite.
(D) Thrift: "Thrift" refers to the careful use of resources, especially money, which is the opposite of profligacy. Thrift involves saving and being economical, while profligacy involves wasting resources.
(E) Criterion: A "criterion" is a standard or principle for judging something, which is unrelated to the meaning of profligacy.
Step 3: Conclusion.
The word that is opposite in meaning to "profligacy" is (D) Thrift, as it refers to being economical and avoiding waste.