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
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Flagg’s numbers might not look pretty, but the Mavericks believe this will only benefit their basketball prodigy from Maine over the long haul.
—Christian Clark, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Two childhood friends now must face off from opposite sides – Sam, the daughter of a poor single mother scraping toward a better life in Grand Central, and Ari, a Lumines prodigy.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Talamasca wants viewers to invest in these two as a pair — Guy as the resistant, questioning prodigy and Helen as his no-nonsense, charmingly manipulative mother figure — but the series doesn’t develop Guy well enough to make their relationship worth caring about.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Oct. 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 7 Nov. 2025.
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prodigy
noun
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