profuse

American  

[pruh-fyoos, proh‐] / prəˈfyus, proʊ‐ /

adjective

1. spending or giving freely and in large amount, often to excess; extravagant (often followed byin ).

   profuse praise.

   Antonyms:

   thrifty

2. made or done freely and abundantly.

   profuse apologies.

3. abundant; in great amount.

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profuse British  

/ prəˈfjuːs /

adjective

1. plentiful, copious, or abundant

   profuse compliments

2. (often foll by in) free or generous in the giving (of)

   profuse in thanks

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Related Words

See lavish. See ample.

Other Word Forms

• profusely adverb
• profuseness noun
• unprofuse adjective
• unprofuseness noun

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.

Example Sentences

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

When K-pop star Karina posted a handwritten apology on Instagram earlier in March, it was both contrite and profuse.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2024

During the opening days of spring training this week, the Dodgers have been profuse in their praise of superstar free-agent addition Shohei Ohtani.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 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

Thick around a tall trellis, a vine that had been simply green when he arrived the day before was now profuse with opened blue and white morning glories.

From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry