different between excessive vs prodigal

English

Etymology

From Middle French excessif, from Medieval Latin excessivus

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?s?s?v/
• Rhymes: -?s?v

Adjective

excessive (comparative more excessive, superlative most excessive)

1. Exceeding the usual bounds of something; extravagant; immoderate.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:excessive

Antonyms

• insufficient
• deficient

Derived terms

• excessive number

Related terms

• exceed
• excess

Translations

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k.s?.siv/

Adjective

excessive

1. feminine singular of excessif

Interlingua

Adjective

excessive (comparative plus excessive, superlative le plus excessive)

1. excessive

Related terms

• excesso

Latin

Adjective

excess?ve

1. vocative masculine singular of excess?vus

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