ample

[am-puhl]

adjective

ampler, amplest 

1. fully sufficient or more than adequate for the purpose or needs; plentiful; enough: ample time to finish.

   an ample supply of water;

   ample time to finish.

2. of sufficient or abundant measure; liberal; copious.

   an ample reward.

   Synonyms: plenteous, lavish, free, generous
   Antonyms: meager, scanty, scanty

3. of adequate or more than adequate extent, size, or amount; large; spacious; roomy.

   ample storage space.

   Synonyms: vast, great, capacious, extensive

ample

/ ˈæmpəl /

adjective

1. more than sufficient; abundant

   an ample helping

2. large in size, extent, or amount

   of ample proportions

Other Word Forms

• ampleness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ample¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin amplus “wide, large”

Word History and Origins

Origin of ample¹

C15: from Old French, from Latin amplus spacious

Synonym Study

See plentiful. Ample, liberal, copious, profuse describe degrees of abundant provision. Ample implies a plentiful provision: to give ample praise. Liberal implies provision from a generous supply (more than ample but less than copious ): Liberal amounts of food were distributed to people who needed it. Copious implies an apparently inexhaustible and lavish abundance: a copious flow of tears. Profuse implies a still more unrestrained abundance of provision or flow: profuse in his apologies.

Example Sentences

Whatever else might motivate a majority of city voters to elect Mr. Mamdani, they’ll have to overlook ample prior experience that his program is a flop.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They stress that the el-Fasher killings were entirely predictable, but the international community failed to act to protect civilians despite ample warning.

Read more on BBC

High profitability industrywide leaves insurers with ample capital, so they tend to cut prices of coverage to put that cash to work.

Read more on Barron's

Powell said the decision reflects evidence that reserves in the banking system are now “somewhat above ample.”

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He describes the permanently larger balance sheet as a technocratic necessity to accommodate commercial banks’ demand for reserve deposits at the Fed—the so-called ample reserves regime introduced after 2008.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• abundant 
• bountiful 
• broad 
• copious 
• expansive 
• extensive 
• generous 
• great 
• plentiful 
• spacious 
• substantial 
• voluminous 
• wide 

When To Use

What does ample mean?

Ample means enough—sufficient or adequate. It can also mean more than enough—plentiful or abundant.It is often used in the context of things like time, room, space, supplies, or resources (such as food and money) to indicate that there is enough or more than enough of what is needed.Sometimes, ample means large in size, extent, or amount, as in It was an ample tract of land. Ample can be used in front of a noun, as in We have ample funds to cover the purchase, or elsewhere in the sentence, as in The payment was ample. The adverb form of ample is amply, meaning sufficiently or abundantly, as in He gave amply to charity. Example: There was no one else there, so there was ample space to spread out.