Prodigal

Definition

Spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant. Can also describe lavish abundance given generously, without the negative connotation.

Beyond the definition

Prodigal carries the weight of squandered potential. The prodigal spends what took others decades to build. But nature is also prodigal — spring is prodigal with blossom, the sea is prodigal with its waves. The word knows excess can be ruinous or beautiful depending on what is given.

Origin & history

From Latin prodigalis ('wasteful'), from prodigere ('drive forth, squander'), from pro- ('forth') + agere ('drive'). To drive everything forward until it is gone.

Example sentences

Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.

His prodigal spending in his twenties left him with nothing by thirty.

The coast was prodigal with its beauty that morning — light everywhere, and not a cloud.

How to use it

This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.

Choose “Prodigal” when the meaning fits your context: Spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant. Can also describe lavish abundance given generously, without the negative connotation.

Synonyms

extravagant, wasteful, lavish, spendthrift, profligate

Antonyms

frugal, thrifty, economical, parsimonious

Related words

• profligate
• improvident
• intemperate
• dissolute

Prodigal vs extravagant

Extravagant means spending more than is warranted — exceeding what is reasonable or necessary. Prodigal implies reckless waste on a grander scale: squandering not just money but resources, gifts, or potential. You can be extravagant about wine or interior design; prodigal suggests a fundamental disregard for consequence. The Prodigal Son didn't just spend freely — he wasted everything he had. Extravagant is excessive; prodigal is ruinously so.

Word in the Wild

See how this word appears in life, language and stories.

Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.

Illustrative example

Lavish abundance on display

A large table is filled to capacity with a wide, diverse array of different dishes, showing excessive choice and culinary variety.

The sheer volume and variety of the food represent a lavish, almost wasteful abundance. This serves as a visual metaphor for the prodigal spirit, capturing the feeling of resources spent freely and without restraint.

Image credit: by bigmick · CC BY-SA 2.0 (license)
Resized and converted to WebP; displayed with a fitted crop.

Questions about this word

What does "Prodigal" mean?

Prodigal is adjective meaning: Wastefully extravagant; spending without restraint.. Spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant. Can also describe lavish abundance given generously, without the negative connotation.

Where does the word "Prodigal" come from?

From Latin prodigalis ('wasteful'), from prodigere ('drive forth, squander'), from pro- ('forth') + agere ('drive'). To drive everything forward until it is gone.