prodigal
prodigal Lexical Profile
prodigal Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant.
"His prodigal spending habits quickly depleted the family fortune within a few years."
Having or giving something on a lavish scale; abundant or profuse.
"The orchard yielded a prodigal harvest of apples and pears after the mild spring."
• noun
A person who spends money in a recklessly extravagant way.
"The wealthy heir was known throughout the city as a notorious prodigal who squandered his inheritance."
A person who leaves home and behaves recklessly, but later makes a repentant return.
"After years of estrangement, the family welcomed the returning prodigal with open arms."
Word Nuance & Usage
Because of the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son, "prodigal" is frequently misunderstood to mean "wandering" or "returning home after an absence"; however, its actual meaning is "recklessly wasteful or extravagant."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 15th century from Old French prodigal, from Medieval Latin prodigalis, derived from Classical Latin prodigus ("wasteful, lavish"), from prodigere ("to drive away, squander").