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

Like Charter, Verizon stock also is down over the past decade but Verizon holders at least have benefitted from an ample dividend.

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The property—which appears somewhat unassuming from the outside—also offers ample privacy thanks to the trees that surround it on three sides, creating a natural barrier from prying eyes.

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An evocatively realized setting such as Ms. Bigelow’s Washington nerve center can be ample reason to make a movie worth seeing, but three others that were overflowing with local atmosphere offered far more than that.

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All four companies have ample cash flow and pristine balance sheets, with easily north of $1 trillion in total borrowing capacity.

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The company had launched the tram tour in 1964 to make a little money from its ample real estate.

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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.