prodigious
Americanadjective
-
extraordinary in size, amount, extent, degree, force, etc..
a prodigious research grant.
- Synonyms:
- tremendous, gigantic, huge, immense, enormous
- Antonyms:
- tiny
-
wonderful or marvelous.
a prodigious feat.
- Synonyms:
- miraculous, wondrous, astounding, stupendous, amazing
- Antonyms:
- ordinary
-
abnormal; monstrous.
-
Obsolete. ominous.
adjective
-
vast in size, extent, power, etc
-
wonderful or amazing
-
obsolete threatening
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of prodigious
First recorded in 1545–55, prodigious is from the Latin word prōdigiōsus marvelous. See prodigy, -ous
Explanation
Something exceptional, substantial, or great is prodigious. A blizzard includes prodigious wind and snow. A prodigious writer is one who can write a lot and do it well. Prodigious is a word for things that are impressive. If you have prodigious strength, you're very strong. If your cat had a prodigious litter of kittens, then you've got a houseful of kittens. This is a strong word that's also kind of formal. Save it for things that really blow you away because of their quality or quantity. A little drizzle isn't a prodigious rain, but a storm that floods a whole city certainly is.
Vocabulary lists containing prodigious
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Julius Caesar
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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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.
Prodigious is an understatement for the display, which was curated by the museum’s Massimiliano Gioni, Gary Carrion-Murayari, Vivian Crockett and Madeline Weisburg with Calvin Wang.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Prodigious musical talents aside, Eilish's appeal lies also in her progressive attitudes around modern issues.
From BBC • Aug. 25, 2023
And the film’s full title - “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” - is the longest ever for an Oscar nominee.
From Washington Times • Apr. 13, 2021
And the film’s full title — “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” — is the longest ever for an Oscar nominee.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 13, 2021
Prodigious, though not incredible stories are preserved, especially of his precocity in mathematics.
From Pascal's Pensées by Pascal, Blaise
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.
