Join free

prodigal

English · Français · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

prodigal

  • /ˈpɹɒdɪɡəl/ UK
  • /ˈpɹɑdɪɡəl/ US
  • [ˈpʰɹɑɾɪɡɫ̩] US

Where it comes from

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.

adjective more prodigal · most prodigal

  1. Wastefully extravagant. He found himself guilty of prodigal spending during the holidays.

    Similar: lavish, squandering · Opposite: frugal, abstemious, canny, chary, moderate, cheap, close with a buck, economic, economical, provident, husbandly, huswifely

  2. often, followed by of or with Yielding profusely, lavish. She was a merry person, glad and prodigal of smiles.

    Similar: free, generous, liberal

  3. Profuse, lavishly abundant. Goe binde thou vp vond dangling Apricocks, / Which like vnruly Children, make their Syre / Stoupe with oppreſſion of their prodigall weight:

    Similar: inordinate, superabundant, abundant, abounding, ample, aplenty, brimming, copious, galore, generous, lavish, numerous

  4. Having (selfishly) abandoned a person, group, or ideal.
  5. Returning or having returned, especially repentantly, after such an abandonment. Simon Hart of the Daily Telegraph has tweeted that the prodigal triple-jumper has come home, in preparation for tomorrow's qualification round.

Similar: extravagant, improvident, imprudent, lavish, loose-handed, prodigal, profligate, reckless, spendthrift, squandering, uneconomical, unthrifty, wasteful · Opposite: frugal, stingy

noun prodigals

  1. A prodigal person; a spendthrift; a wastrel. Now thinkes he that her husbands ſhallow tongue, / The niggard prodigall that praiſde her ſo: / In that high task hath done her Beauty wrong.

    Similar: big spender, dingthrift, neve, overspender, prodigal, profligate, saprophage, scattergood, slipstring, slipthrift, sparkler, spend-all

Thesaurus

adjective

Similar: extravagant, improvident, imprudent, lavish, loose-handed, prodigal, profligate, reckless, spendthrift, squandering, uneconomical, unthrifty, wasteful · Opposite: frugal, stingy

Translations

Every language

adj wastefully extravagant

Españolpródigo
日本語放蕩 hōtō
Portuguêspródigo
Françaisprodigue
Deutschverschwenderisch
Italianoprodigo, generoso
العربيةمُسْرِف musrif

adj lavish

Españolpródigo
Deutschgroßzügig, freigebig

adj profuse, lavishly abundant

Deutschübermäßig, im Überfluß, in Hülle und Fülle, üppig, überquellend, überreichlich

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"prodigal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/prodigal. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

prodigal. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/prodigal

Chicago

"prodigal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/prodigal.

BibTeX
@misc{prodigal_2026,
  title = {prodigal},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/prodigal},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}