prodigal
Part of speech: adj
noun
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle French prodigal, from Late Latin prōdigālis (“wasteful”), from Latin prōdigus (“wasteful, lavish, prodigal”), from prōdigō (“to consume, squander, drive forth”), from prōd- [from prō (“before, forward”)] + agō (“to drive”). Also see unrelated prodigy.
The senses of "abandoning a person or cause" and "returning after abandonment" are by allusion to the New Testament story commonly called "The Parable of the Prodigal Son", Luke 15:11–32. See prodigal son.
Inflected forms:
form: more prodigal
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: most prodigal
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: prodigals
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: Wastefully extravagant.
pos: adj
examples: He found himself guilty of prodigal spending during the holidays.
The prodigal son spent his share of his inheritance until he was destitute.
The prodigal heir can only waste his own substance, and the punishment falls, as it should, upon himself; but the prince has an awful responsibility,—the welfare of others is required at his hands;...
gloss: Yielding profusely, lavish.
pos: adj
tags: often
examples: She was a merry person, glad and prodigal of smiles.
How can he be so prodigal with money on such a tight budget?
He generally falls backwards and sometimes succumbs to the fever which ensues; hence as soon as the ordeal is over the women are prodigal of their attentions to him, and rub the swollen arm with a particular kind of herb.
Granville poised himself over a vast sirloin, stropped his knife briskly, then began to hack away ruthlessly. He was a prodigal server and piled about two pounds of meat on my plate, then he started on the Yorkshire puddings.
gloss: Profuse, lavishly abundant.
pos: adj
examples: Goe binde thou vp vond dangling Apricocks, / Which like vnruly Children, make their Syre / Stoupe with oppreſſion of their prodigall weight:
And one, the reapers at their sultry toil. / In front they bound the sheaves. Behind / Were realms of upland, prodigal in oil, / And hoary to the wind.
gloss: Behaving as a prodigal son:
pos: adj
gloss: Behaving as a prodigal son:
pos: adj
examples: Simon Hart of the Daily Telegraph has tweeted that the prodigal triple-jumper has come home, in preparation for tomorrow's qualification round.
I went away to come back / Like a prodigal Christian
gloss: A prodigal person; a spendthrift; a wastrel.
pos: noun
examples: Now thinkes he that her husbands ſhallow tongue, / The niggard prodigall that praiſde her ſo: / In that high task hath done her Beauty wrong.
Change into extremity is very frequent and easy. As when a beggar suddenly grows rich, he commonly becomes a prodigal; for, to obscure his former obscurity, he puts on riot and excess.
Synonyms: extravagant
improvident
imprudent
lavish
loose-handed
prodigal
profligate
reckless
spendthrift
squandering
uneconomical
unthrifty
wasteful
Antonyms: frugal
stingy
Related words: generous
Derived words: prodigalish
prodigalism
prodigality
prodigalize
prodigally
prodigalness
prodigal son
unprodigal
Translations:
lang: Arabic
word: مُسْرِف
roman: musrif
lang: Azerbaijani
word: bədxərc
lang: Azerbaijani
word: israfcıl
lang: Bulgarian
word: разточителен
roman: raztočitelen
lang: Bulgarian
word: прахоснически
roman: prahosničeski
lang: Catalan
word: pròdig
lang: Czech
word: marnotratný
lang: Dutch
word: kwistig
lang: Finnish
word: tuhlaavainen
lang: French
word: prodigue
lang: German
word: verschwenderisch
lang: Icelandic
word: hóflaus
lang: Icelandic
word: hóflaust
lang: Irish
word: anaisteach
lang: Irish
word: caifeach
lang: Irish
word: díobhlásach
lang: Italian
word: prodigo
lang: Italian
word: generoso
lang: Japanese
word: 放蕩
roman: hōtō
lang: Latin
word: prōdigus
lang: Latin
word: prōdigālis
lang: Malay
word: pemboros
lang: Malayalam
word: ധൂർത്ത
roman: dhūṟtta
lang: Persian
word: ولخرج
roman: velxarj
lang: Polish
word: marnotrawny
lang: Polish
word: rozrzutny
lang: Portuguese
word: pródigo
lang: Slovak
word: márnotratný
lang: Spanish
word: pródigo
lang: Swedish
word: slösaktig
lang: Tagalog
word: masakmata
lang: Turkish
word: müsrif
lang: Turkish
word: savurgan
lang: Welsh
word: afradlon