Prodigious - plus, name that synonym

[Merriam-Webster]( WORD OF THE DAY [May 2, 2019](#none) prodigious [Audio pronunciation]( adjective | pruh-DIJ-us Definition 1 : resembling or befitting a [prodigy]( : [strange](, [unusual]( 2 : causing amazement or wonder 3 : extraordinary in [bulk](, quantity, or degree : [enormous]( Scroll down for more about prodigious TRENDING NOW: [snitty]( [abjure]( [surveillance]( [cavalier]( [SEE ALL [>]]( PEOPLE ARE READING # [9 Words for Fellowship]( # [What's the Difference Between a 'Boat' and a 'Ship'?]( # [The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 4/26/19]( # [Getting Too Close to 'Radioactive']( WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [April 2019 Words of the Day Quiz]( A spring quizzing. [PLAY NOW]( Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]]( Did You Know? Prodigious, monstrous, tremendous, and stupendous all mean extremely impressive. Prodigious suggests marvelousness exceeding belief, usually in something that is felt as going far beyond a previous maximum of goodness, greatness, intensity, or size ("acrobats performing prodigious aerial feats"). [Monstrous]( implies a departure from the normal in size, form, or character ("a monstrous billboard"); it can also suggest that someone or something is ugly, cruel, or vicious ("a monstrous criminal"; "a monstrous crime"). [Tremendous]( and [stupendous]( both imply a power, the former to terrify or awe ("the singer has tremendous talent"), the latter to stun or astound ("the young cast gave a stupendous performance"). Prodigious and the related noun prodigy derive from the Latin prodigium, meaning "omen" or "monster"; at one time, both words were used in English to refer to portents, or omens, but these senses are now considered obsolete. Examples of PRODIGIOUS "Along with John Ashbery, his elder by two months, Mr. Merwin was one of the defining American poets of his generation, a prodigious and prolific talent who wrote two dozen books of poetry as well as story collections, memoirs, plays and acclaimed translations." — Harrison Smith, The Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2019 "What you may have yet to encounter, or haven't fully noticed yet, is the growing group of current medical students who are perhaps on track to achieve even greater fame, through their prodigious and aggressive use of social media, particularly Instagram." — Vishal Kheptal, Slate, 29 Nov. 2018 Name That Synonym Unscramble the letters to create a synonym of prodigious meaning "extraordinary in size or degree": EMSINEM. [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]]( WORDS AT PLAY 9 Obscure Words for Feelings Ever think 'there are no words' for how you’re feeling? Think again. [CHECK OUT OUR LIST [>]]( MORE WORD FUN: [WORD GAMES [>]]( [TRENDING NOW [>]]( [WORDS AT PLAY [>]]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( SHARE: [Facebook][Facebook]( [Twitter][Twitter]( [View this email in a web browser]( You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day. [Unsubscribe from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day]( [Manage your subscription settings]( Merriam-Webster, Inc. 47 Federal Street P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA 01102 [www.merriam-webster.com](