prodigal
PROD-i-gul
/ˈprɒdɪɡəl/
Adjective: Spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant. Noun: A person who spends money in a recklessly extravagant way.
Often implies a moral failing or a lack of responsibility, especially in the context of inheritance or family resources. It carries a strong sense of foolish wastefulness.
The story behind the word. The word 'prodigal' comes to us from the Latin 'prodigus,' meaning 'wasteful.' This in turn comes from 'prodigere,' which meant 'to drive forth' or 'to squander.' It's a combination of 'pro-' (meaning 'forth' or 'before') and 'agere' (meaning 'to drive' or 'to do'). So, a prodigal person is someone who 'drives forth' their money, pushing it away carelessly and wastefully.
Word relationships
- wasteful: Using or expending something carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose.
- extravagant: Lacking restraint in spending money or using resources.
- profligate: Even stronger, implying shamelessly immoral and recklessly extravagant behavior.
- frugal: Sparing or economical with regard to money or food.
- parsimonious: Unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugal to excess.
- thrifty: Using money and other resources carefully and not wastefully.
Commonly confused with
- generous: 'Generous' implies giving freely and kindly; 'prodigal' implies giving or spending recklessly and wastefully.
Word family
- prodigality (noun): Wasteful extravagance in spending money.
Collocations
- prodigal son
- prodigal spending
- prodigal habits
Idioms & expressions
- the prodigal son/daughter (a person who leaves home and wastes their money, then returns repentant)
Example sentences
- "The parable of the prodigal son tells of a young man who squandered his inheritance on riotous living." Describing a character in a parable.
- "Critics accused the government of being prodigal with taxpayer money, funding unnecessary projects." Critiquing a government's spending.
Memory hook
A 'PRODIGAL' son will 'PROD' his parents for money and then 'DIG' himself into debt. Prod and dig debt
When not to use
Do not use 'prodigal' for careful, planned, or necessary spending, even if it's substantial. It specifically refers to reckless and wasteful habits.
Fun facts
- The most famous use of 'prodigal' is in the biblical 'Parable of the Prodigal Son,' which cemented its meaning of a wasteful but repentant returner.
Related words
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