prodigal son/daughter

noun

: a son/daughter who leaves his or her parents to do things that they do not approve of but then feels sorry and returns home

—often used figuratively

He left the company several years ago, but now the prodigal son has returned.

Examples of prodigal son/daughter in a Sentence

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When the film was remade as The Wolfman in 2010, Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins took over as Lawrence and Sir John, playing up Lawrence’s role as the prodigal son, driven far from home after being plagued by delusions connected to the death of his mother. —

Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 22 Jan. 2025 The prodigal daughter returns in ABC's brand new series, Shifting Gears! —

Esther Kang, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024 Newport ’65 was really a Thanksgiving dinner gone amok, in which the prodigal son and the father and several uncles and others are fighting. —

Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024 First, the show’s barnburner opening number is followed by a very, very, very long group performance at the show’s midpoint after prodigal son Johnny’s arrival. —

Daniel D'addario, Variety, 13 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for prodigal son/daughter

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“Prodigal son/daughter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prodigal%20son%2Fdaughter. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

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