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prodigal
[ prod-i-guhl ]
adjective
- wastefully or recklessly extravagant:
prodigal expenditure.
Synonyms: profligate
- giving or yielding profusely; very generous; lavish (usually followed by of or with ):
prodigal of smiles; prodigal with praise.
- lavishly abundant; profuse:
nature's prodigal resources.
noun
- a person who is wasteful of their money, possessions, etc.; spendthrift:
In later years, he was a prodigal of his fortune.
prodigal
/ ˈprɒdɪɡəl /
adjective
- recklessly wasteful or extravagant, as in disposing of goods or money
- lavish in giving or yielding
prodigal of compliments
noun
- a person who spends lavishly or squanders money
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Derived Forms
- ˈprodigally, adverb
- ˌprodiˈgality, noun
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Other Words From
- prod·i·gal·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins
Origin of prodigal1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of prodigal1
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Synonym Study
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Example Sentences
It’s a document of Gullah Geechee culinary history, as well as the story of a self-described “prodigal son” returning to the land that raised him.
Abercrombie weaves the tale of Prince Yarvi in a tale part Captains Courageous, part Revenge of the Nerds, and part Prodigal Son.
No one knows, but on the 4th of July he began bellowing that the Prodigal Son would, in fact, return.
Her "prodigal son" brother, Mehran (Reza Sixo Safari), a former classical musician, returns home from a stint in drug rehab.
Turns out, Nash's "prodigal roommate" Charles isn't real, but rather a personification of Nash's loss of youthful exuberance.
In going to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he was the prodigal son playing in his homeland.
I doubt if the State itself has ever known the meaning of hospitality since the old ranch days, when, of course, it was prodigal.
Here is Christianity with its marvellous parable of the Prodigal Son to teach us indulgence and pardon.
Sterile, dissipated and prodigal, she made her husband very unhappy, thus avenging the first Mme. Brunner.
The rooks were awake in Randolph Crescent; but the windows looked down, discreetly blinded, on the return of the prodigal.
In a pew on the left-hand side a little old man was holding forth as to the “prodigal son.”
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More About Prodigal
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.
Where does prodigal come from?
The adjective prodigal is evidenced in English in the 1400s, ultimately from the Latin prōdigus, “extravagant, lavish.” Then as now, prodigal characterizes someone who is reckless with money. Starting in the 16th century, prodigal has been used as a noun for a spendthrift.
Prodigal has been especially used in reference to the Parable of Prodigal Son in the Bible (Luke 15:11-32). The story relates the tale of a disobedient son who leaves home and squanders his inheritance—only to return humbled, penitent, and celebrated by his father. Among Christians, the parable illustrates divine love and spiritual redemption. Prodigal child has been used in reference to the story since 1508, prodigal son since 1555. Prodigal daughter is evidenced by the late 1700s.
Thanks to the parable, prodigal itself has come to describe someone or something “wayward,” (e.g., the prodigal sheep wandered from the rest of the flock for greener pastures). It has also come to describe a “repentant return” more generally. For instance, when basketball player LeBron James returned to play for his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 after leaving for the Miami Heat, the press often referred to him as a prodigal son.
How is prodigal used in real life?
Prodigal is very often encountered in the phrase prodigal son/daughter/child in both formal and informal contexts for someone who reformed their reckless ways. Among Christians, prodigal is also frequently used in direct discussion of the parable.
Prodigal has appeared in the titles of many cultural products, from Christian songs (Laura Story’s 2011 “Prodigal Song”) to popular novels (Danielle Steel’s 2015 Prodigal Son) to action films (2014’s Wayward: The Prodigal Son).
More examples of prodigal:
“Celebrating. The prodigal files returned.”
—@jploh, December, 2007
“#OneDirectionReunion is just like return of the prodigal son 😂 … “
—@Meheux_ferguson, April, 2018
Note
This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.
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