Meaning & use
prodigy
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A child or young person whose natural ability in music, art, mathematics, or another field is exceptionally advanced.
Grammar: Countable; usually refers to a young person, not simply any highly skilled adult.
Patterns
- a child prodigy
- a prodigy at something
- a mathematical prodigy
By eleven, the prodigy could play concertos from memory.
Teachers recognized her as a prodigy at mathematics when she solved the problem in seconds.
The young prodigy performed calmly before an audience of two thousand.
Word forms
| plural | prodigies |
|---|
Common combinations
- child prodigy
- The child prodigy began composing simple melodies at five.
- musical prodigy
- A musical prodigy still needs practice, patience, and good teachers.
- mathematical prodigy
- The mathematical prodigy explained patterns that adults had missed.
- a prodigy of nature
- Newspapers called the recovered forest a prodigy of nature after the fire.
Synonyms and how they differ
- genius
- Genius can describe adults as well as children and may imply lasting original achievement; prodigy usually highlights early exceptional ability.
- virtuoso
- Virtuoso is mainly for performance skill, especially music; prodigy stresses remarkable youth and natural talent.
- wunderkind
- Wunderkind is an informal synonym often used for a successful young person in business or arts; prodigy focuses on ability.
- phenomenon
- Phenomenon can mean an extraordinary person, but it is broader and not limited to children.
Word family
- prodigious adjective
- Very great in size, amount, or ability.
- prodigiously adverb
- In an impressively great or skilled way.
Commonly confused: prodigy or prodigal? prodigy or protege?
prodigy vs prodigal
Prodigal means wastefully extravagant, as in the prodigal son; prodigy means an exceptionally talented young person.
prodigy vs protege
A protege is a younger person guided by an influential mentor; a prodigy is remarkable for natural ability, though the two can overlap.
Practice
Who is best described as a prodigy?
Choose one answer.
A prodigy is typically a child or young person with exceptional natural ability, especially in music, art, or academics. The violinist fits this; the engineer may be experienced, and the coach or actor is not defined by remarkable early talent.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “prodigy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.