prodigal

American  

[prod-i-guhl] / ˈprɒd ɪ gəl /

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

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noun

• prodigals
  plural

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 British  

/ ˈprɒdɪɡəl /

adjective

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

2. lavish in giving or yielding

   prodigal of compliments

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noun

1. a person who spends lavishly or squanders money

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

• prodigality
  noun
• prodigally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• prodigals
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of prodigal

First recorded in 1500–10; back formation from prodigality

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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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prodigal prodigals

McBurnie, not so much the prodigal son but now the forgiven one, had that big chance six minutes into the new half - the one he would have dreamed about.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 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

In September, she implored our neighbors from the north to make their prodigal return to the Strip.

From Slate ● Nov. 18, 2025

We were prodigal in its usage, we were reckless with its implications.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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

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

Mixes phone calls and wolf calls, prodigals and playboys, manages to emerge as the season's best of a bad lot of comedy farces.

From Time Magazine Archive

Like most prodigals who think themselves free, Morland became a slave.

From English Painters with a chapter on American painters by S. R. Koehler

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