plentiful
Americanadjective
-
ample; abundant
-
having or yielding an abundance
a plentiful year
Related Words
Plentiful, ample, abundant, bountiful describe a more than adequate supply of something. Plentiful suggests an over-adequate quantity: a plentiful supply. Ample suggests a more than adequate quality as well: to give ample praise. Abundant implies a greater degree of plenty, and bountiful a still more ample quality as well: an abundant, even a bountiful, harvest.
Other Word Forms
- overplentiful adjective
- overplentifully adverb
- overplentifulness noun
- plentifully adverb
- plentifulness noun
- quasi-plentiful adjective
- quasi-plentifully adverb
- unplentiful adjective
- unplentifully adverb
Etymology
Origin of plentiful
A late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at plenty, -ful
Explanation
If something is plentiful, there is a lot of it. Also, plentiful things yield large amounts of something, like an abundant farm. Apples are plentiful in a plentiful year on an apple farm. Plentiful is an adjective to describe “many” or “a lot.” It’s plenty for “very much” and -ful for “full of” so plentiful is full of very much! It’s a word for “large amounts.” If you have plenty of potato chips, you have a plentiful supply of chips. Also, something that has or produces great amounts can be called plentiful. A tree that spawns many apples is plentiful.
Vocabulary lists containing plentiful
Much Ado: Synonyms for "Many"
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Obama's State of the Union Address, 2014
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Z for Zachariah
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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.
Should we ensure a plentiful supply of bananas?
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026
Department of Veterans Affairs and both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two federally sponsored companies, guarantee privately issued mortgages as a way to boost more plentiful and cheaper lending for American homebuyers.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
It may not have all the features or top-end components, but it was built to be affordable and plentiful.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Venezuela presents tempting investment opportunities for Western oil and natural gas companies, because its oil reserves are among the most plentiful in the world.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
He refused to believe either that food would become more plentiful or that the windmill would save work.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
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.
