plentiful

[plen-ti-fuhl]

adjective

1. existing in great plenty.

   Coal was plentiful, and therefore cheap, in that region.

   Antonyms: scanty, sparse

2. yielding abundantly.

   a plentiful source of inspiration.

   Synonyms: luxuriant, productive, bounteous, fruitful
   Antonyms: sterile, fruitless, barren

plentiful

/ ˈplɛntɪfʊl /

adjective

1. ample; abundant

2. having or yielding an abundance

   a plentiful year

Other Word Forms

• plentifully adverb
• plentifulness noun
• overplentiful adjective
• overplentifully adverb
• overplentifulness noun
• quasi-plentiful adjective
• quasi-plentifully adverb
• unplentiful adjective
• unplentifully adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of plentiful¹

A late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; plenty, -ful

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Prices will hold up better in the Northeast and Midwest, where home construction hasn’t been as plentiful as in the sunbelt, he says.

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Prices will hold up better in the Northeast and Midwest, where home construction hasn’t been as plentiful as in the sunbelt, he says.

Read more on Barron's

Even as the labor market has softened, healthcare jobs have stayed plentiful: People spend on healthcare in good times and bad, and thus far, the ability to change bedpans and insert IVs hasn’t been automated.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Games start on time and security is plentiful and helpful for first-time visitors.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The archival footage is plentiful and a treat: Country legends Merle Travis and Grandpa Jones are seen in their virtual infancy.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ample 
• bountiful 
• fertile 
• generous 
• productive 
• prolific 
• sufficient 
• unlimited