abundant

[uh-buhn-duhnt]

adjective

1. present in great quantity; more than adequate; oversufficient.

   an abundant supply of water.

   Synonyms: profuse, copious
   Antonyms: scarce, sparse

2. well supplied with something; abounding.

   a river abundant in salmon.

   Synonyms: rich, rich, teeming
   Antonyms: scarce, sparse

3. richly supplied, as with resources.

   an abundant land.

   Synonyms: rich, rich, teeming
   Antonyms: scarce, sparse

abundant

/ əˈbʌndənt /

adjective

1. existing in plentiful supply

2. having a plentiful supply (of)

3. (of a chemical element or mineral) occurring to an extent specified in relation to other elements or minerals in the earth's crust or some other specified environment

4. (of an isotope) occurring to an extent specified in relation to other isotopes in a mixture of isotopes

Other Word Forms

• abundantly adverb
• preabundant adjective
• preabundantly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of abundant¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English (from Middle French ), from Latin abundant- (stem of abundāns ) overflowing. See abound, -ant

Word History and Origins

Origin of abundant¹

C14: from Latin abundant-, present participle of abundāre to _abound

Synonym Study

See plentiful.

Example Sentences

“Based on recent sustained repo market pressures and other growing signs of reserves moving from abundant to ample, I expect that it will not be long before we reach ample reserves,” Williams told the event.

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Their analysis showed a dramatic rise in overlap during years when fish were less abundant.

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"These results show that short-finned pilot whales are in relatively good shape in Hawaiʻi, having found an abundant and reliable source of food," says Gough, who remains optimistic about the species' outlook in the region.

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The significance of this discovery became clearer when a Japanese study on supercentenarians, meaning individuals who live well past 100, found that this same T helper cell subset was abundant in their immune systems.

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The "nature-integrated design" approach, which uses abundant natural materials like water as essential working components, may also inspire future advances in sustainable technology.

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Related Words

• ample 
• bountiful 
• copious 
• generous 
• heavy 
• rich 
• sufficient