prodigy

noun

prod·​i·​gy ˈprä-də-jē 

plural prodigies

1

a

: a highly talented child or youth

b

: an extraordinary, marvelous, or unusual accomplishment, deed, or event

2

a

: something extraordinary or inexplicable

b

: a portentous event : omen

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."

Synonyms

• miracle
• marvel
• wonder
• phenomenon

Examples of prodigy in a Sentence

a new drug that is being hailed as the latest prodigy of the medical world

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Naroditsky, a child prodigy who became one of the most influential American voices in the sport, was found this week unconscious on a sofa by his friends grandmaster Oleksandr Bortnyk and Peter Giannatos, founder of the Charlotte Chess Center. —Jake Lubbehusen, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025

Tom Hulce portrayed the musical prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as a petulant, bratty young genius with a distinctive laugh, insatiable appetite and endless talent. —Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025

The film is a 1950s period piece that stars Chalamet as a rising, unshakably ambitious ping-pong prodigy. —J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin prodigium omen, monster, from pro-, prod- + -igium (akin to aio I say) — more at adage

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

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Kids Definition

prodigy

noun

prod·​i·​gy ˈpräd-ə-jē 

plural prodigies

1

: an amazing event or action : wonder

2

: an unusually talented child