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ample

[ am-puhl ]
/ ˈæm pəl /
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See synonyms for: ample / amplest / ampleness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, am·pler, am·plest.

fully sufficient or more than adequate for the purpose or needs; plentiful; enough: an ample supply of water; ample time to finish.
of sufficient or abundant measure; liberal; copious: an ample reward.
of adequate or more than adequate extent, size, or amount; large; spacious; roomy: ample storage space.

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Origin of ample

1400–50; late Middle English <Anglo-French <Latin amplus wide, large

synonym study for ample

1. See plentiful. 2. 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 the needy. 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.

OTHER WORDS FROM ample

am·ple·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

VOCAB BUILDER

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.

Where does ample come from?

The first records of the word ample come from the 1400s. It comes from the Latin amplus, meaning “large,” “wide,” or “spacious.” The words amplitude and amplify are based on the same root.

Amplitude can refer to the state of being ample, but it’s typically used in a more specific way in technical and scientific measurements. More commonly, the noun ampleness refers to the state of having enough or more than enough. Ample has many common synonyms, and it also has many antonyms (opposites) that mean “not enough,” including insufficient, inadequate, scant, scanty, and meager.

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What are some other forms related to ample?

  • ampleness (noun)
  • amply (adverb)

What are some synonyms for ample?

What are some words that share a root or word element with ample

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing ample?

How is ample used in real life?

Ample can be used to describe both tangible things, such as food and water, and intangible ones, such as space and time.

 

Try using ample!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of ample

A. scanty
B. plentiful
C. bountiful
D. abundant

Example sentences from the Web for ample

British Dictionary definitions for ample

ample
/ (ˈæmpəl) /

adjective

more than sufficient; abundantan ample helping
large in size, extent, or amountof ample proportions

Derived forms of ample

ampleness, noun

Word Origin for ample

C15: from Old French, from Latin amplus spacious
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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