First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
prodigious
adjective pro·di·gious \prə-ˈdi-jəs\
: amazing or wonderful : very impressive
: very big
Full Definition of PRODIGIOUS
1
a obsolete : being an omen : portentous b : resembling or befitting a prodigy : strange, unusual (see prodigy)
2
: exciting amazement or wonder
3
— pro·di·gious·ly adverb
— pro·di·gious·ness noun
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Examples of PRODIGIOUS
- Graceful afield and afoot in his youth, he bullied into a prodigious slugger in his final years. —Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, 28 July 2003
- She had what was known in those days as a hollow leg, meaning she was able to drink prodigious amounts of liquor without getting drunk, or so she thought. —Vanity Fair, July 2000
- … Isaac [Newton] was allowed to resume at Grantham and go on to Cambridge, where … he was to remain for nearly thirty-five secluded, prodigious years. —John Updike, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 1998
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Origin of PRODIGIOUS
(see prodigy)
Related to PRODIGIOUS
- Synonyms
- amazing, astonishing, astounding, awesome, awful, eye-opening, fabulous, miraculous, portentous, marvelous, staggering, stunning, stupendous, sublime, surprising, wonderful, wondrous
- Antonyms
- bantam, bitty, diminutive, infinitesimal, Lilliputian, little bitty, micro, microminiature, microscopic (also microscopical), midget, miniature, minuscule, minute, pocket, pygmy, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, wee
Synonym Discussion of PRODIGIOUS
monstrous, prodigious, tremendous, stupendous mean extremely impressive. monstrous implies a departure from the normal (as in size, form, or character) and often carries suggestions of deformity, ugliness, or fabulousness <the monstrous waste of the project>. prodigious suggests a marvelousness exceeding belief, usually in something felt as going far beyond a previous maximum (as of goodness, greatness, intensity, or size) <made a prodigious effort and rolled the stone aside>. tremendous may imply a power to terrify or inspire awe <the tremendous roar of the cataract>. stupendous implies a power to stun or astound, usually because of size, numbers, complexity, or greatness beyond description <a stupendous volcanic eruption>.
Rhymes with PRODIGIOUS
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