prodigy

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˈprɑdədʒiː/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A person, especially a young one, who is endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities, particularly in a specific field such as music, mathematics, or art.; An extraordinary or marvelous thing; a wonder or marvel that inspires awe.; An omen or portent; something regarded as a sign or warning of a future event, especially an extraordinary natural phenomenon.; A monster or freak; something monstrous or abnormal in appearance or nature.; A person or thing of extraordinary size, strength, or power.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: prodigies

Collocations

child prodigymusical prodigya prodigy of talentyoung prodigymathematical prodigy

Derivatives

prodigiousprodigiouslyprodigiousness

Synonyms

geniuswunderkindphenomenonvirtuosomarvelwhiz

Commonly confused

prodigal
EN: 'Prodigal' means wastefully extravagant (as in 'the prodigal son'), while 'prodigy' refers to an exceptionally gifted person.
prodigious
EN: 'Prodigious' is the adjective meaning remarkably great in size or degree, whereas 'prodigy' is the noun referring to the gifted person or remarkable thing itself.

Spelling tips

EN: The plural is 'prodigies' (change 'y' to 'ies'), not 'prodigys'. Do not confuse with 'prodigal' (wasteful), which has a completely different meaning.

💬 Examples

  1. Mozart was a musical prodigy who composed his first symphony at the age of eight.

  2. The ancient temple was considered a prodigy of architectural engineering.

  3. The Romans interpreted the appearance of a comet as a prodigy foretelling the fall of an empire.

  4. In medieval bestiaries, two-headed calves were recorded as prodigies of nature.

  5. He was a prodigy of strength, able to lift weights that no other man in the village could move.