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
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 1 May 2025
This week, the Madrid Open brought a coaching comeback story, a reminder of the growth required to be a tennis prodigy and a reminder of a false dawn at the top of men’s tennis.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Now that Brandon’s in college, the one-time prodigy wants to be known as an adult performer.
—Steve Rothaus, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2025
Using a highly technical result in number theory by the Indian math prodigy Srinivasa Ramanujan, Sarnak and his collaborators produced regular graphs that achieved the Alon-Boppana bound.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 18 Apr. 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 20 May. 2025.
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prodigy
noun
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