prodigal son

noun

Someone who returns home from travelling or exile or who is welcomed back after disgrace, especially having repented of former extravagant or immoral behavior.

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Meanings

nounprodigal son (plural prodigal sons)

plural prodigal sons

  1. Someone who returns home from travelling or exile or who is welcomed back after disgrace, especially having repented of former extravagant or immoral behavior.

    Here I am, the prodigal son The self proclaimed deprived Spending hours of fighting the peace When I should lay it on the line

    2010, “Enter Dog of Pavlov”, performed by Soilwork, Sweden
    1 more example

    Don’t look back in anger—Oasis, the prodigal sons of Brit-pop, is returning. After years of public feuding and subtweets and alleged battery with a cricket bat, the Gallagher brothers—Liam and Noel, obvs—are working it out on the remix, with a rash of 2025 summer dates announced on their website.

    2024 August 28, Raven Smith, “Liam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher, and the Art of the Public Feud”, in Vogue
  2. A marine fish, the cobia (Rachycentron canadum).

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
cobia

Origin

With reference to Luke 15:11–32.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan fill pròdig
  • fill pròdigone who returns
Chinese Cantonese 浪子
  • 浪子one who returns
Chinese Mandarin 浪子
  • 浪子 (làngzǐ)one who returns
Danish fortabte søn
  • fortabte sønone who returns
Dutch verloren zoon
  • verloren zoonone who returns
Finnish tuhlaajapoika
  • tuhlaajapoikaone who returns
French fils prodigue
  • fils prodigueone who returns
German verlorener Sohn, Zurückkehrer
  • verlorener Sohnone who returns
  • Zurückkehrerone who returns
  • Heimkehrerone who returns
Greek άσωτος υιός
  • άσωτος υιός (ásotos yiós)one who returns
Hungarian tékozló fiú
  • tékozló fiúone who returns
Irish an mac díobhlásach, an millteán mic
  • an mac díobhlásachone who returns
  • an millteán micone who returns
Italian figliol prodigo, figlio prodigo
  • figliol prodigoone who returns
  • figlio prodigoone who returns
Japanese 放蕩息子
  • 放蕩息子 (hōtō musuko)one who returns
Latvian izšķērdīgais dēls
  • izšķērdīgais dēlsone who returns
Polish syn marnotrawny
  • syn marnotrawnyone who returns
Portuguese filho pródigo
  • filho pródigoone who returns
Russian блу́дный сын
  • блу́дный сын (blúdnyj syn)one who returns
Spanish hijo pródigo
  • hijo pródigoone who returns
Swedish förlorad son
  • förlorad sonone who returns
Tagalog alibughang anak
  • alibughang anakone who returns
Welsh mab afradlon
  • mab afradlonone who returns
Cite this entry
APA

prodigal son. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prodigal%20son

MLA

“prodigal son.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prodigal%20son. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prodigal son,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prodigal%20son.

Source: prodigal son on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.