adjective
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bearing fruit in abundance
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productive or prolific, esp in bearing offspring
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causing or assisting prolific growth
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producing results or profits
a fruitful discussion
Related Words
See productive.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fruitful
Explanation
When something is fruitful, it's productive — but you don't have to produce fruit in order to be fruitful. You could have a fruitful trip to the mall if you come home with a slew of snappy new outfits. There's a famous line from the Bible: "Be fruitful and multiply." That gives you a pretty good sense of the word: fruitful activity multiplies or adds to what's already there, producing more of something. A couple is fruitful if they have children: the more children, the more fruitful. An artist is fruitful if they create a lot of artwork. A business is fruitful if it creates profits and expands. Anything fruitful is productive: it grows and produces, much like a fruit tree.
Vocabulary lists containing fruitful
Power Suffix: -ful
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
What started as a 13-week Covid lockdown project for creator Mike White blossomed into one of the most mutually fruitful brand collaborations on TV.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
So, to have a space that reflects the diversity of its programming often makes recording more fruitful, especially during key moments like the NFL draft or awards season.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026
"DESI has been a superb international collaboration, and its incredibly fruitful scientific results are a leading example of its impact on the broader scientific community," he said.
From Science Daily • Apr. 28, 2026
The summer of 1996 was a fruitful one for club accountants.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
He could lie in his bed and wait, and he also would have a bowl of water brought to him, and if the earth were fruitful there would be tea leaves in the water.
From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
