different between bounteous vs prodigal

English

Etymology

bounty +? -ous

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ba?nti?s/, /?ba?nt??s/

Adjective

bounteous (comparative more bounteous, superlative most bounteous)

1. (of a person) Inclined to be generous.
2. (of a gift, etc.) Liberal or abundant.

Derived terms

• bounteousness

Translations

English

Etymology

From Middle French prodigal, from Late Latin pr?dig?lis (“wasteful”), from Latin pr?digus (“wasteful, lavish, prodigal”), from pr?dig? (“to consume, squander, drive forth”), from pr?d- [from pr? (“before, forward”)] + ag? (“to drive”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?p??d???l/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?p??d???l/, [?p????????]

Adjective

prodigal (comparative more prodigal, superlative most prodigal)

1. Wastefully extravagant.

   He found himself guilty of prodigal spending during the holidays.

   He is a prodigal son.

2. (often followed by of or with) Yielding profusely, lavish.

   She was a merry person, glad and prodigal of smiles.

   How can he be so prodigal with money on such a tight budget?

3. Profuse, lavishly abundant.
4. (by allusion to the Biblical parable of the prodigal son) returning after abandoning a person, group, or ideal, especially for selfish reasons; behaving as a prodigal son.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:prodigal

Antonyms

• (a prodigal person): frugal
• exigent

Derived terms

• prodigal son

Translations

Noun

prodigal (plural prodigals)

1. A prodigal person, a spendthrift.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:spendthrift

Translations

Further reading

• prodigal in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• prodigal in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• prodigal at OneLook Dictionary Search