prodigy

noun

prod·i·gy ˈprä-də-jē

plural prodigies

Synonyms of prodigy next

: a highly talented child or youth

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

: something extraordinary or inexplicable

: 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."

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

He has been featured on the popular Collegiate Chess Podcast and in The New Yorker talking about his match against chess prodigy Tani Adewumi. —

Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 22 Nov. 2024 Editor’s picks Preston, a child prodigy, was introduced to the church and gospel music by his mother. —

David Browne, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2024 Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, Jones had most recently produced the 2014 documentary Keep on Keepin’ On, about jazz trumpeter Clark Terry and his mentorship of blind piano prodigy Justin Kauflin. —

Jennifer Frederick, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2024 Madison is a prodigy of energy and transformative virtuosity, Eydelshteyn delivers an unusual blend of whimsy and pathos, and Borisov displays a soulful gravitas that fills the screen. —

Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for prodigy