Prodigal

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpɹɒdɪɡəl/

Definitions

1. Someone who squanders wealth and resources with reckless abandon, typically returning home in repentance after exhausting their means through excessive indulgence
2. A person who spends money and resources with extravagant abandon, often leaving home and later returning in repentance, or the wasteful expenditure characteristic of such behavior
3. An individual who spends resources excessively and lavishly without concern ; conduct marked by irresponsible and excessive use of money or possessions

Etymology: The most striking twist is that "prodigal" once meant nothing more than "lavish." It comes from Latin "prodigus," built from "prod-" (forward, before) and "agere" (to drive), so its root sense was something like "driving forth" or "driving away." From there it came to mean squandering, as if one were driving one's goods out the door. The word reached English through Middle French "prodigal" and the Late Latin "prodigalis," and its meaning of recklessly spending money has been part of it ever since. Its more colorful sense owes everything to a parable. The New Testament story of the Prodigal Son, in Luke 15:11–32, follows a young man who wastes his inheritance and later returns home. Through that allusion, "prodigal" came to describe someone who abandons a person or cause and then comes back, a meaning that shows how strongly the parable shaped the word's later life.

Synonyms: wasteful, extravagant, lavish, improvident, squandering

Antonyms: frugal, thrifty, economical, prudent, sparing