prod·i·gal
ˈprä-di-gəl 
1
: characterized by profuse or wasteful expenditure : lavish
a prodigal feast
prodigal outlays for her clothes
2
: recklessly spendthrift
the prodigal prince
3
: yielding abundantly : luxuriant
—often used with of
nature has been so prodigal of her bounty—
H. T. Buckle
H. T. Buckle1
: one who spends or gives lavishly and foolishly
2
: one who has returned after an absence
Examples of prodigal in a Sentence
Adjective
We sipped our beers and wondered at one another, at what was left of all that and of those prodigal days.
—Michael Chabon, A Model World and Other Stories, 1991
The prodigal use of antibiotics in animals has the same consequence as their overprescription for human beings.
—Cullen Murphy, New York Times Book Review, 10 June 1984
Mr. Bulstrode replied without haste, but also without hesitation. "I am grieved, though, I confess, not surprised by this information, Mr. Lydgate. For my own part, I regretted your alliance with my brother-in-law's family, which has always been of prodigal habits, and which has already been much indebted to me for sustainment in its present position … "
—George Eliot, Middlemarch, 1872
the prodigal child always spent her allowance the minute she got it
Noun
Such a trustee had been first instituted by the praetor, to save a family from the blind havoc of a prodigal or madman …
—Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 1788
the million-dollar lottery winner was such a prodigal that his windfall was exhausted after only a few years
Michael Chabon, A Model World and Other Stories, 1991
The prodigal use of antibiotics in animals has the same consequence as their overprescription for human beings.
—Cullen Murphy, New York Times Book Review, 10 June 1984
Mr. Bulstrode replied without haste, but also without hesitation. "I am grieved, though, I confess, not surprised by this information, Mr. Lydgate. For my own part, I regretted your alliance with my brother-in-law's family, which has always been of prodigal habits, and which has already been much indebted to me for sustainment in its present position … "
—George Eliot, Middlemarch, 1872
the prodigal child always spent her allowance the minute she got it
Noun
Such a trustee had been first instituted by the praetor, to save a family from the blind havoc of a prodigal or madman …
—Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 1788
the million-dollar lottery winner was such a prodigal that his windfall was exhausted after only a few years
Recent Examples on the Web
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025
And maybe, for that offense, and for so many other protests, the Embassy would refuse to help Daria, its prodigal daughter.
—Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
Greg Evans, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2025
The food today is extraordinarily good and prodigal.
—Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prodigal
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Adjective
Cinema’s prodigal daughter, Paltrow did not bother to Google Timothée Chalamet before starring alongside him in Josh Safdie’s upcoming sports drama Marty Supreme, her first major non-Marvel movie in a decade.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025
And maybe, for that offense, and for so many other protests, the Embassy would refuse to help Daria, its prodigal daughter.
—Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
Noun
Secrets are revealed, prodigals return, intolerances surface and family bonds are tested.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2025
The food today is extraordinarily good and prodigal.
—Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prodigal
Cite this Entry
“Prodigal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prodigal. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prodigal
2 of 2 noun
: somebody who wastes money carelessly
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