prodigious

[pruh-dij-uhs]

adjective

1. extraordinary in size, amount, extent, degree, force, etc..

   a prodigious research grant.

   Synonyms: tremendous, gigantic, huge, immense, enormous
   Antonyms: tiny

2. wonderful or marvelous.

   a prodigious feat.

   Synonyms: miraculous, wondrous, astounding, stupendous, amazing
   Antonyms: ordinary

3. abnormal; monstrous.

4. Obsolete.,  ominous.

prodigious

/ prəˈdɪdʒəs /

adjective

1. vast in size, extent, power, etc

2. wonderful or amazing

3. obsolete,  threatening

Other Word Forms

• prodigiously adverb
• prodigiousness noun
• unprodigious adjective
• unprodigiously adverb
• unprodigiousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of prodigious¹

First recorded in 1545–55, prodigious is from the Latin word prōdigiōsus marvelous. See prodigy, -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of prodigious¹

C16: from Latin prōdigiōsus marvellous, from prōdigium, see _prodigy

Example Sentences

Mr. Chernow traces the development of that singular voice, drawing upon Twain’s prodigious output and the tumultuous events that shaped him.

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Microchips shape U.S. foreign policy from the Netherlands, home of ASML, the No. 1 maker of chip-fabrication tools, to Taiwan and its prodigious Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

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By the eve of the Civil War, America’s prodigious cotton cultivation had grown by orders of magnitude once again, nearing two billion pounds.

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The editor credits his prodigious output to strict discipline.

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On the cusp of the new NBA season, the most shocking, most surprising and downright scariest development in basketball isn’t the formation of some new superteam or the arrival or a prodigious rookie.

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Related Words

• amazing 
• astonishing 
• astounding 
• exceptional 
• fantastic 
• impressive 
• marvelous 
• miraculous 
• phenomenal 
• remarkable 
• staggering