Standard Lemma guide

prodigality

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌprɒdɪˈɡælɪti/
  • General-American: /ˌprɑdɪˈɡælɪti/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Wasteful extravagance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Lavish generosity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

excessive spending

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: extravagance, lavishness, highlife, high life

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: waste, wastefulness, dissipation

4

noun

Meaning 4

the trait of spending extravagantly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: extravagance, profligacy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: improvidence, shortsightedness

History

Etymology

From prodigal + -ity, from Old French prodigalite, from Late Latin prodigalitas.

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: إِسْرَاف (ʔisrāf) — wasteful extravagance.
  • Arabic: تَبْذِير (tabḏīr) — wasteful extravagance.
  • Arabic: سَرَف (saraf) — wasteful extravagance.
  • Armenian: շվայտություն (švaytutʻyun) — wasteful extravagance.
  • Bulgarian: разточителство (raztočitelstvo) — wasteful extravagance.
  • Bulgarian: прахосничество (prahosničestvo) — wasteful extravagance.
  • Czech: marnotratnost — wasteful extravagance.
  • Czech: rozhazovačnost — wasteful extravagance.
  • Czech: hýřivost — wasteful extravagance.
  • Dutch: kwistigheid — wasteful extravagance.
  • Dutch: verspilzucht — wasteful extravagance.
  • French: prodigalité — wasteful extravagance.
  • Irish: caifeachas — wasteful extravagance.
  • Persian: اسراف (esrâf) — wasteful extravagance.
  • Portuguese: prodigalidade — wasteful extravagance.
  • Romanian: prodigalitate — wasteful extravagance.
  • Russian: транжирство (tranžirstvo) — wasteful extravagance.
  • Russian: мотовство (motovstvo) — wasteful extravagance.
  • Scottish Gaelic: ana-caitheamh — wasteful extravagance.
  • Tagalog: sakmata — wasteful extravagance.
  • Armenian: առատաձեռնություն (aṙatajeṙnutʻyun) — lavish generosity.
  • Bulgarian: щедрост (štedrost) — lavish generosity.
  • Dutch: vrijgevigheid — lavish generosity.
  • French: prodigalité — lavish generosity.
  • Romanian: prodigalitate — lavish generosity.
  • Scottish Gaelic: ana-caitheamh — lavish generosity.