prodigal

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage) From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle French prodigal, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Late Latin prōdigālis (“wasteful”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin prōdigus (“wasteful, lavish, prodigal”), from prōdigere (“to consume, squander, drive forth”), from prōd- [from prō (“before, forward”)] + agere (“to drive”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒdɪɡəl/
• IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɑdɪɡəl/, [ˈpʰɹɑɾɪɡɫ̩]

Adjective

prodigal (comparative more prodigal, superlative most prodigal)

1. wastefully extravagant.

   He found himself guilty of prodigal spending during the holidays.

   He is a prodigal son.

2. (often followed by of or with) someone yielding profusely, lavish

   She was a merry person, glad and prodigal of smiles.

   How can he be so prodigal with money on such a tight budget?

3. profuse, lavishly abundant
4. (by allusion to the Biblical parable of the prodigal son) returning after abandoning a person, group, or ideal, especially for selfish reasons; being a prodigal son.
   • 2012 August 12, Paul Owen, “London 2012 Olympics: day 10”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Simon Hart of the Daily Telegraph has tweeted that the prodigal triple-jumper has come home, in preparation for tomorrow's qualification round.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:prodigal

Antonyms

• (a prodigal person): frugal

Derived terms

• prodigal son

Translations

wastefully extravagant

• Catalan: pròdig
• Dutch: kwistig (nl)
• Finnish: tuhlaavainen
• German: verschwenderisch (de)
• Icelandic: hóflaus m or f, hóflaust n
• Irish: anaisteach, caifeach, díobhlásach
• Italian: prodigo (it) m, generoso (it) m
• Japanese: 放蕩 (ja) (hōtō)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: prōdigus
• Polish: marnotrawny (pl), rozrzutny (pl)
• Portuguese: pródigo (pt) m
• Spanish: pródigo (es)
• Tagalog: masakmata
• Turkish: müsrif (tr), savurgan (tr)
• Welsh: afradlon (cy)

lavish

• Finnish: tuhlaavainen
• German: freigiebig, großzügig (de), freigebig
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: pródigo (es)

profuse, lavishly abundant

• Finnish: ylenpalttinen (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: übermäßig (de), im Überfluß m, in Hülle und Fülle (de) f, üppig (de), überquellend (de), überreichlich (de), enorm (de)

Noun

prodigal (plural prodigals)

1. A prodigal person, a spendthrift.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:spendthrift

Translations

prodigal — see spendthrift

Further reading

• “prodigal”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “prodigal”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “prodigal”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.