prodigal

[prod-i-guhl]

adjective

1. wastefully or recklessly extravagant.

   prodigal expenditure.

   Synonyms: profligate
   Antonyms: provident, cautious

2. giving or yielding profusely; very generous; lavish (usually followed by of orwith ).

   prodigal of smiles; prodigal with praise.

   Synonyms: bounteous, copious

3. lavishly abundant; profuse.

   nature's prodigal resources.

   Synonyms: bounteous, copious

noun

1. a person who is wasteful of their money, possessions, etc.; spendthrift.

   In later years, he was a prodigal of his fortune.

   Synonyms: wastrel, waster

prodigal

/ ˈprɒdɪɡəl /

adjective

1. recklessly wasteful or extravagant, as in disposing of goods or money

2. lavish in giving or yielding

   prodigal of compliments

noun

1. a person who spends lavishly or squanders money

Other Word Forms

• prodigally adverb
• prodigality noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of prodigal¹

First recorded in 1500–10; back formation from prodigality

Word History and Origins

Origin of prodigal¹

C16: from Medieval Latin prōdigālis wasteful, from Latin prōdigus lavish, from prōdigere to squander, from _pro- ¹ + agere to drive

Synonym Study

See lavish.

Example Sentences

Before we meet any characters in “The Family Stone,” Thomas Bezucha’s 2005 holiday dramedy about a close-knit extended family meeting their prodigal son’s uptight new girlfriend for the first time, a cellphone rings.

Read more on Salon

In a troubled time before their rift, my husband, by his own account, had been financially irresponsible, reckless, a prodigal son.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Now, nearly a decade and many petitions later, the prodigal wrap returns to the United States with the kind of quiet fanfare usually reserved for cult-favorite lip balms or discontinued sodas.

Read more on Salon

But their journey South is just as much one of deliberate self-destruction, an epic flame-out that is clearly meant to climax once they arrive at their parents’ home — the prodigal child’s disastrous return.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Fascism was supposed to bring them their Hallmark movie, to make the prodigal liberal daughter give up her career to marry the pickup-driving lunkhead next door.

Read more on Salon

When To Use

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.