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
Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 3 May 2026
Halioua got her big break from Laura Deming, a former child prodigy who was accepted to MIT at age 14 and later co-founded the world’s largest venture fund for longevity research.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026
Now, Giants fans are watching Devers, a beloved Red Sox prodigy, turn into yet another expensive Bay Area failure — a Juicero of hitting.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Aspen Wooten, a talented tennis prodigy who moved from Memphis to Lake Nona with her family as a ninth grader, had accomplished just about everything available in her four-year high school career — including winning more than 100 matches.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prodigy
Cite this Entry
“Prodigy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prodigy. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prodigy
noun
