prodigal
Americanadjective
-
wastefully or recklessly extravagant.
prodigal expenditure.
- Synonyms:
- profligate
-
giving or yielding profusely; very generous; lavish (usually followed by of orwith ).
prodigal of smiles; prodigal with praise.
-
lavishly abundant; profuse.
nature's prodigal resources.
noun
-
prodigals
plural
adjective
-
recklessly wasteful or extravagant, as in disposing of goods or money
-
lavish in giving or yielding
prodigal of compliments
noun
Usage
What does prodigal mean? Prodigal generally refers to spending money in a reckless, extravagant way. It is often used in reference to the Biblical parable of the prodigal son.
Synonym Usage
See lavish.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of prodigal
First recorded in 1500–10; back formation from prodigality
Explanation
Use the adjective prodigal to describe someone who spends too much money, or something very wasteful. Your prodigal spending on fancy coffee drinks might leave you with no money to buy lunch. Prodigal usually applies to the spending of money. In the Bible, the Prodigal Son leaves home and wastes all his money. The noun forms of the word, meaning "a wasteful person" or "one who returns home after a period of bad behavior," relate to this biblical story. You can also use prodigal to describe something that is very abundant or generous, such as prodigal praise. Prodigal comes from the Latin word prodigere, "to drive away or waste."
Vocabulary lists containing prodigal
Born a Crime
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Twelfth Night
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"Why Read Shakespeare?" Vocabulary from the argument
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The prodigal will play a part, it seems.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
The last time Apple had paid a dividend was 1995, a year before the prodigal founder’s return to the company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
David Kepner’s Biff, the prodigal son who rediscovers the reasons he ran off in the first place, delivers the most centered performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026
James buried his face in his jersey as he attempted to keep his feelings in check while the Cavaliers played a video tribute to their prodigal hero during a first quarter break.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
I the most prodigal and mundane of historians.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
When the prodigals visited, the Cobbs kept it secret from Jones.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 19, 2018
I was disappointed, naturally, in the ways that home-seeking prodigals are, dismayed to find my otherness in tact among my own.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 22, 2013
A providential train wreck brings the prodigals, fortuitously unblemished, back home.
From Time Magazine Archive
Yet unlike those prodigals who waste themselves and their substance alike, he was not regarded as either a spendthrift or a debauchee, but rather as a refined voluptuary.''
From Time Magazine Archive
The young men are commonly of a bashful, sober behaviour; few proving prodigals to consume what the industry of their parents has left them, but commonly improve it.
From Southern Literature From 1579-1895 A comprehensive review, with copious extracts and criticisms for the use of schools and the general reader by Louise Manly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
