Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Prodigious for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Prodigious" — adjective, pronounced /prəˈdɪdʒəs/, with the stress on "dig".
Narrator: Prodigious means extremely great in size, amount or ability, causing wonder.
Narrator: In plain English, prodigious things are amazing and enormous.
Narrator: It comes from the Latin prodigiosus, from prodigium, an omen or wonder.
Narrator: A common collocation is "a prodigious memory", which describes an astonishing ability to remember.
Narrator: It differs from "big", because prodigious adds admiration and amazement.
Narrator: It often describes talent, appetite, output and energy.
Narrator: Sport, science, arts and journalism all rely on the word.
Narrator: So remember: prodigious means wondrously great.
Speaker A: Why did the coach call her talent prodigious?
Speaker B: Because it's astonishing! PRODIGIOUS comes from the Latin prodigium, a wonder.
Speaker A: So more than just good?
Speaker B: Far more.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "He has a prodigious appetite", huge. "She showed prodigious talent", remarkable. "The company's prodigious output amazed investors", enormous.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Spell it "-igious", and do not confuse prodigious with prestigious.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Enormous is its cousin, phenomenal is its twin, and colossal is the grand alternative, but prodigious keeps its wondrous charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "prodigious" in AI prompts — useful for sports writing and data summaries.
Speaker A: How would sports writing use it?
Speaker B: Praise vividly.
Prompt: Write a match report praising a striker's prodigious work rate in eighty words.
Speaker A: And data summaries?
Speaker B: Highlight scale.
Prompt: Summarise this year's prodigious growth in app downloads with three key numbers.
Speaker A: Could it help editing?
Speaker B: Yes, confusables.
Prompt: Check this essay for places where prodigious and prestigious may be confused.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Biographies.
Prompt: Write a short bio of a composer known for her prodigious output.
Prodigious — meaning in Arabic & definition More P courses GL Dictionary