Definition of PROLIFIC (original) (raw)
1
: producing young or fruit especially freely : fruitful
2
archaic : causing abundant growth, generation, or reproduction
3
: marked by abundant inventiveness or productivity
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for prolific
fertile, fecund, fruitful, prolific mean producing or capable of producing offspring or fruit.
fertile implies the power to reproduce in kind or to assist in reproduction and growth
; applied figuratively, it suggests readiness of invention and development.
fecund emphasizes abundance or rapidity in bearing fruit or offspring.
prolific stresses rapidity of spreading or multiplying by or as if by natural reproduction.
Examples of prolific in a Sentence
Since [David] Mamet is a prolific writer of Hollywood screenplays, there are today more people who know his work than know that they know it. —Juliet Fleming, Times Literary Supplement, 18 Feb. 2000 The main rival to his pneumonia was the prolific thrush which went into his throat and stomach. —Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting, 1993 A writer as established and prolific as Joyce Carol Oates can approach her material in a wealth of ways unavailable to the more plodding. —Jane Smiley, New York Times Book Review, 5 May 1991 Here there are La restaurants, wine bars, bookshops, estate agents more prolific than doctors, and attractive people in black, few of them aging. —Hanif Kureishi, Granta 22, Autumn 1987
a famously prolific author who could produce several works of fiction and nonfiction a year
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Also a prolific pitchwoman and investor, Morgan acquired stakes this year in Unrivaled, the forthcoming women’s pro basketball league, and Classic Football Shirts, which sells vintage soccer jerseys. —Brett Knight, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024 Tyler Perry has made a lot of movies over the course of his incredibly prolific career. —Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2024 Alonso is one of the most prolific power hitters in baseball. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024 Zakir Hussain, a prolific Indian musician known for playing the tabla, died on Sunday in San Francisco, his management company confirmed. —Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for prolific
Word History
Etymology
French prolifique, from Middle French, from Latin proles + Middle French -figue -fic
First Known Use
1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of prolific was in 1650
Dictionary Entries Near prolific
Cite this Entry
“Prolific.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prolific. Accessed 1 Jan. 2025.
Share
More from Merriam-Webster on prolific
Last Updated: 24 Dec 2024 - Updated example sentences
Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!