ENGLISH
REFERENCE

prodigy

n. countable
C1 Advanced US //ˈpɹɑdədʒi// UK //pɹˈɒdɪdʒi// prodi·gy Archaic

n. a young person who has a natural, amazing talent for something like music or math. They are much better at their skill than most adults.

n. a person, especially a child or young person, having extraordinary talent or ability. Often used to describe mastery of a complex field at an early age.


SIMPLE

The young piano prodigy played a difficult concerto perfectly.

CONTEXTUAL

By the age of ten, the chess prodigy was already competing against international grandmasters and winning.

COMPLEX

While many children show early promise, a true prodigy demonstrates a level of technical proficiency and creative maturity that typically takes decades of professional practice to achieve.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English prodige (“portent”), from Latin prōdigium (“omen, portent, prophetic sign”).

Usage

Often paired with a specific field, such as 'musical prodigy' or 'mathematical prodigy'.

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