profuse
Americanadjective
-
spending or giving freely and in large amount, often to excess; extravagant (often followed byin ).
profuse praise.
- Antonyms:
- thrifty
-
made or done freely and abundantly.
profuse apologies.
-
abundant; in great amount.
adjective
-
plentiful, copious, or abundant
profuse compliments
-
(often foll by in) free or generous in the giving (of)
profuse in thanks
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of profuse
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin profūsus, past participle of profundere “to pour out or forth”; see pro- 1, fuse 2
Explanation
Profuse is a word for a lot of something or even way too much — a profuse rainfall is a serious amount of rain. This word has to do with extravagance or abundance. If you're bleeding profusely, you're bleeding a lot. If you lavish profuse gifts on your pet, you might have too much money on your hands. When you give someone profuse praise, you're probably laying it on a little thick. If you’re a farmer and your crops are profuse, that’s great because you have a lot of crops. Anything profuse is happening in great amounts.
Vocabulary lists containing profuse
Paradise Lost
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An Essay on Criticism
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Orlando: A Biography
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Tokyo has issued apologies, but many Chinese people believe they are not profuse enough.
From BBC • Aug. 14, 2025
South Africa is Africa’s most advanced country but has struggled to solve a profuse inequality that has kept millions in poverty three decades after the segregation of apartheid ended.
From Seattle Times • May 30, 2024
Their results demonstrated that the increase in biomass was due to improved photosynthesis and a delicate balancing of life cycle transition between diffuse and profuse growth depending on nitrogen and carbon availability.
From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2023
"We are shocked by how profuse the material is," said Marcos Cohen from the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations, the Jewish group acting as plaintiff in the process.
From Reuters • Sep. 13, 2023
The first signs of malaria include a teeth-chattering chill along with a pounding headache, followed by a dangerously high fever, and then profuse sweating.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
