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Synonym Chooser

How is the word prodigious different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of prodigious are monstrous, stupendous, and tremendous. While all these words mean "extremely impressive," prodigious suggests a marvelousness exceeding belief, usually in something felt as going far beyond a previous maximum (as of goodness, greatness, intensity, or size).

made a prodigious effort and rolled the stone aside

When is monstrous a more appropriate choice than prodigious?

The meanings of monstrous and prodigious largely overlap; however, monstrous implies a departure from the normal (as in size, form, or character) and often carries suggestions of deformity, ugliness, or fabulousness.

the monstrous waste of the project

When would stupendous be a good substitute for prodigious?

The words stupendous and prodigious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, stupendous implies a power to stun or astound, usually because of size, numbers, complexity, or greatness beyond description.

a stupendous volcanic eruption

When might tremendous be a better fit than prodigious?

While the synonyms tremendous and prodigious are close in meaning, tremendous may imply a power to terrify or inspire awe.

the tremendous roar of the cataract

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prodigious This is a man who has entertained conspiracy theories on a prodigious range of topics: vaccines, fluoride, 5G networks, assassinations, 9/11, election theft. Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 23 May 2025 Part of the identity of the New York Knicks over the last few years has been gobbling up offensive rebounds at a prodigious rate. Tom Rende, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025 The project, which comprises songs, poetry, and artwork by everyone from Yoko Ono and Jonathan Franzen to Alice Coltrane and Jarvis Cocker, is just that prodigious. Air Mail, 26 Apr. 2025 Susan was impersonating an ordinary teen at Coal Hill School in London, when her prodigious intelligence attracted the attention of teachers Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill). Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for prodigious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prodigious
Adjective
  • On the other hand, Trump has genuine and tremendous leverage over Musk.
    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 6 June 2025
  • But in a city where incumbents are rarely shown the door, and where public employee unions have tremendous clout, our leaders don’t care.
    U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • My 10-year-old avocado grown from seed produced two wonderful fruits last year.
    Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 June 2025
  • She’s got a wonderful dynamic with Sydney Agudong, who plays Nani.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 7 June 2025
Adjective
  • The enormous success of Prey showed us that the best Predator stories may be the truly standalone ones.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 June 2025
  • The cryptographic community is already preparing, and the financial incentives to preserve the integrity of Bitcoin are enormous.
    Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • This astonishing debut is a classic in the making, a story to be loved and appreciated for generations to come.
    Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 13 June 2025
  • But now imagine going further still into the realm of the astonishing, and creating not just molecules that resemble naturally occurring ones, but their exact mirror images which are not naturally found anywhere on Earth.
    Eva Amsen, JSTOR Daily, 11 June 2025
Adjective
  • Secretly Group was founded in Bloomington, Indiana in 1996 and its vast roster includes Phoebe Bridgers, Bon Iver, Mitski, Japanese Breakfast, Angel Olsen and many more and the labels Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, Saddest Factory Records and Secretly Canadian.
    Jem Aswad, Variety, 10 June 2025
  • The hybrid online program offers an in-depth exploration of the secondhand textile system, focusing on how vast quantities of clothing end up in Africa.
    Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 10 June 2025
Adjective
  • Here’s a look at his amazing performance. Notes . . .
    Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
  • Gosh, there are trillions of stories that are amazing.
    Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2025
Adjective
  • The sixth installment in Warner Bros. and New Line’s long-running horror property, in which people die in increasingly insane incidents, is a huge hit.
    Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 8 June 2025
  • Merz recently vowed to make Germany’s army the strongest in Europe, but in order to meet that pledge, he will be required to spend huge sums of money to modernize, train and equip soldiers.
    Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 8 June 2025
Adjective
  • The three most colossal creatures across land, sea and air within that tropical biosphere hold, in their DNA, the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind.
    Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 2 June 2025
  • Still, Maye was able to make a miraculous pass for the first down, throwing against the grain.
    Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 2 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Prodigious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prodigious. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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