prodigious
English · Thesaurus
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prodigious
- /pɹəˈdɪd͡ʒəs/ UK
- /pɹəˈdɪd͡ʒəs/ US
- /pɹoʊ-/ US
Rhymes with -ɪdʒəs
Where it comes from
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English prodigious (“warning of disaster, portentous”), from Latin prōdigiōsus (“strange, unnatural; marvellous, wonderful, prodigious”), from prōdigium (“prophetic sign, omen, portent; prodigy, wonder”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of’ forming adjectives from nouns). Prōdigium is derived from prō- (prefix denoting a forward direction, something before or prior, or prominence) + aiō (“to say, speak”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵ- (“to say”)) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). The English word is analysable as prodigy + -ous.
The adverb is derived from the adjective.
Cognates
* Catalan prodigiós
* Middle French prodigieux (“portentous”) (modern French prodigieux)
* Italian prodigioso
* Portuguese prodigioso
* Spanish prodigioso
adjective more prodigious · most prodigious
- Extraordinarily amazing. VVhat am I? Old! or a Monſter! Is it ſo prodigious, that a Man ſhou'd like me?
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In a positive sense: marvellous, wonderful; (specifically) extremely talented, especially at a young age.
Iohn Ponce aforeſaid [i.e., Juan Ponce de León] hearing a rumour of a prodigious vvell, vvhich (as the Poets tell of Medea) vvould make olde men become young againe, plaid the yongling to goe ſearch it ſix monethes together, and in that inquirie diſcouers this Continent: […]
Similar: precocious
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In a negative sense: appalling, horrifying, shocking; (specifically, archaic) abnormal, freakish, monstrous, unnatural.
[H]e [Thomas Arundell] by his euill counſaile and prodigious ſuggeſtions, craftilye circumuented the king, inducyng him to graunt his letters of pardon to a great traytour the Erle of Arondell his brother [Richard Fitzalan, 4th Earl of Arundel].
Similar: monstrous, aberrant, abnormal, alien, anomalous, as queer as Dick's hatband, bizarre, booky, curious, deviant, discrepant, eerie · Opposite: average, medial, basic, bog-standard, common, commonplace, common-and-garden, common-or-garden, congruent, consistent, conventional, customary
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Very big in extent, quantity, or size; abundant; intense; colossal, huge.
[T]he figges […] are a fruit for a king, anſvverable to the mightie, huge, and prodigious tree that beareth it.
Similar: extreme, prolific, enormous, gigantic, ample, big, bodacious, broad, commodious, considerable, exceeding, expansive · Opposite: compact, fun size, fun-sized, ickle, insignificant, lit'l, little, low, modest, mini, petty, pint-sized
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Having the nature of an omen or portent; ominous, portentous.
[T]he blots of natures hand / Shall not in their iſſue ſtand. / Neuer mole, hare-lippe, nor ſcarre, / Nor marke prodigious, ſuch as are / Deſpiſed in natiuitie, / Shall vpon their children be.
Similar: foreboding, inauspicious, augurous, baleful, bodeful, boding, dire, disastrous, divine, fatal, ill-boding, ill-fated
adverb more prodigious · most prodigious
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Synonym of prodigiously (“in a prodigious manner”).
I have fewer books than leisure to read them, and I have a prodigious big appetite.
Similar: prodigiously
Translations
Every language
adj extraordinarily amazing
| Español | prodigioso |
|---|---|
| Português | prodigioso |
| Français | prodigieux |
| Deutsch | verwunderlich |
| Italiano | prodigioso |
| Русский | изуми́тельный izumítelʹnyj, порази́тельный porazítelʹnyj, удиви́тельный udivítelʹnyj, умопомрачи́тельный umopomračítelʹnyj |
adj very big in extent, quantity, or size — see also abundant, intense, huge
| 日本語 | 途方もない tohōmonai |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | gewaltig, ungeheuer |
| Română | prodigios, enorm, gigantic, neobișnuit, vast |
| Русский | чрезме́рный črezmérnyj, грома́дный gromádnyj, непоме́рный nepomérnyj, огро́мный ogrómnyj |
Talk about this word "prodigious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/prodigious. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. prodigious. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/prodigious "prodigious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/prodigious.Cite this
@misc{prodigious_2026,
title = {prodigious},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/prodigious},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
