prolific

[pruh-lif-ik]

adjective

1. producing offspring, young, fruit, etc., abundantly; highly fruitful.

   a prolific pear tree.

   Synonyms: abundant, fecund, teeming
   Antonyms: barren

2. producing in large quantities or with great frequency; highly productive.

   a prolific writer.

   Synonyms: abundant, fecund, teeming

3. profusely productive or fruitful (often followed by in orof ).

   a bequest prolific of litigations.

4. characterized by abundant production.

   a prolific year for tomatoes.

prolific

/ prəˈlɪfɪk /

adjective

1. producing fruit, offspring, etc, in abundance

2. producing constant or successful results

3. rich or fruitful

Other Word Forms

• prolificness noun
• prolifically adverb
• prolificacy noun
• prolificity noun
• nonprolific adjective
• nonprolificness noun
• nonprolificacy noun
• nonprolifically adverb
• overprolific adjective
• overprolificness noun
• overprolifically adverb
• unprolific adjective
• unprolificness noun
• unprolifically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of prolific¹

First recorded in 1640–50, prolific is from the Medieval Latin word prōlificus “fertile.” See prolicide, -fic

Word History and Origins

Origin of prolific¹

C17: from Medieval Latin prōlificus, from Latin prōlēs offspring

Synonym Study

See productive.

Example Sentences

Reviewing that show, our critic said that it “reveals the full scope of an enormously talented and prolific artist who was much more than a sculptor of sinuous, crocheted-wire abstractions.”

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In many ways, this frame of mind persisted, animating Updike’s astonishingly prolific literary career.

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First discovered by a prolific fossil hunter at Golden Cap in Dorset in 2001 the new ichthyosaur was then acquired by a museum in Canada.

Read more on BBC

The Florida Panthers don’t have the fastest skaters or the most prolific offense.

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Russia’s most prolific oil reservoirs are concentrated in the Western Siberia and Volga-Urals regions, which traditionally make up most of the country’s crude output.

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Related Words

• creative 
• rich