prodigy
noun
Did you know?
Is a prodigy a genius or a monster - or both? Nowadays, it's the talent that shines through, but back in the 15th century the word's meaning was more strongly influenced by that of its Latin ancestor, prodigium, meaning "omen" or "monster." Back then, a prodigy could be any strange or weird thing that might be an omen of things to come. Even in modern English, the word sometimes refers to an extraordinary deed or accomplishment. P.G. Wodehouse used that sense when he described how a character named Pongo Twistleton was "performing prodigies with the [billiard] cue."
Examples of prodigy in a Sentence
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
And the kid was a prodigy who had been the director of his grandfather’s senior choir in the church that his grandfather built.
—Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Aside from his iconic role as the child prodigy, Armitage has starred in the HBO series Big Little Lies, as well as films Our Souls at Night, The Glass Castle and I’m Not Here.
—Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
The story follows an orphaned 11-year-old musical prodigy who runs away to New York to find his parents, who are both former musicians, and begins performing on the street in his quest to locate them.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prodigy
Cite this Entry
“Prodigy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prodigy. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
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prodigy
noun
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