adjective
-
bearing fruit in abundance
-
productive or prolific, esp in bearing offspring
-
causing or assisting prolific growth
-
producing results or profits
a fruitful discussion
Related Words
See productive.
Other Word Forms
- fruitfully adverb
- fruitfulness noun
- overfruitful adjective
- overfruitfully adverb
- overfruitfulness noun
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Stars Beneath Our Feet
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
The summer of 1996 was a fruitful one for club accountants.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
So far, Vanguard’s efforts on that front have been fruitful.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 21, 2026
His fruitful career took off with his role as Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan in “Grey’s Anatomy.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026
"Final negotiations have been focused and fruitful, and we are now very optimistic that we will land this historic trade deal," an EU official said Monday speaking on condition of anonymity.
From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026
John Milton proved fruitful in still one more respect.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
