Prodigal means wastefully extravagant, spending money or resources recklessly without thinking about the future. A prodigal person squanders what they have on foolish or unnecessary things. If someone inherits a fortune and spends it all on expensive cars, fancy parties, and useless gadgets within a year, they're being prodigal.

The word comes from one of the most famous stories in the Bible, the parable of the Prodigal Son. In that story, a young man demands his inheritance early, travels far from home, and wastes all his money on wild living. When he's broke and desperate, he returns home ashamed, only to find his father waiting with open arms and forgiveness. Because of this story, people sometimes use prodigal to describe someone who returns after a long absence, as in “the prodigal daughter came home for the holidays after years away.” But the core meaning remains: someone who foolishly wastes what they have.

Notice the difference between being generous and being prodigal: generous people give thoughtfully to help others, while prodigal people throw money away carelessly. A prodigal spender might buy five new video games before finishing the first one, or order expensive takeout every night while perfectly good food sits in the refrigerator.