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
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.
But the biggest thing that brought the pair together was their unshakeable desire to succeed as they quickly built reputations as prodigious young talents.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Written and directed by Jim Rash, it features Allison Janney and Andrew Rannells, two prodigious talents, in a movie that feels like a play.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Another risk to Microsoft posed by AI is prodigious capital spending on chips to run AI, data centers, and electric power generation.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
A music man in his own right, McCartney’s father exerted a prodigious influence on The Beatles’ knack for ranging far and wide when it came to generic considerations.
From Salon ● May 12, 2026
Essentially, Collins was saying that Bobby Fischer’s talent was God-given, innate, and all Collins could do was serve as a guide or bystander, offering encouragement and nurturing the boy’s prodigious gifts.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
