prodigal

Everyday

1. (Bible) The prodigal son is the young man in Jesus's story who wastes his father's money, comes home sorry, and is welcomed with love. tree →
2. (formal) Spending money or things too freely and wastefully. tree →
3. (noun, humorous) Someone who comes back home after being away a long time, especially after doing wrong: «the prodigal returns». tree →

In the lessons

In religion lessons the parable of the prodigal son teaches forgiveness: the father runs to hug the son who came back. In everyday speech people joke «the prodigal returns» when someone comes home late or after a long absence. Phrases: «the prodigal son», «prodigal with money».

Examples

• Jesus told the story of the prodigal son to show God's love. tree →
• The prodigal son spent all his money and ended up feeding pigs. tree →
• His father threw a party when the prodigal came home. tree →
• «Look, the prodigal returns!» said Gran when my cousin finally visited. tree →
• The king was prodigal with gold and soon the treasury was empty. tree →
• Our teacher asked who we felt sorry for in the story of the prodigal son. tree →
• The older brother was angry about the feast for the prodigal. tree →

Note

Many people think «prodigal» means «coming back home», but its real meaning is «wasteful»; the son is called prodigal because he wasted money. Not usually used for people today except in the phrase. Noun prodigality (formal).