prolific
Americanadjective
-
producing offspring, young, fruit, etc., abundantly; highly fruitful.
a prolific pear tree.
- Antonyms:
- barren
-
producing in large quantities or with great frequency; highly productive.
a prolific writer.
-
profusely productive or fruitful (often followed by in orof ).
a bequest prolific of litigations.
-
characterized by abundant production.
a prolific year for tomatoes.
adjective
-
producing fruit, offspring, etc, in abundance
-
producing constant or successful results
-
rich or fruitful
Related Words
See productive.
Other Word Forms
- nonprolific adjective
- nonprolificacy noun
- nonprolifically adverb
- nonprolificness noun
- overprolific adjective
- overprolifically adverb
- overprolificness noun
- prolificacy noun
- prolifically adverb
- prolificity noun
- prolificness noun
- unprolific adjective
- unprolifically adverb
- unprolificness noun
Etymology
Origin of prolific
First recorded in 1640–50, prolific is from the Medieval Latin word prōlificus “fertile.” See prolicide, -fic
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.
As one of the most powerful members of the Senate, Cornyn is prolific at passing bills and raising money.
From Salon
After following his childhood sweetheart to Europe, he established himself as a prolific goalscorer showcasing a bit of everything at Ajax and Liverpool.
From BBC
The Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, who died in 2025, was a prolific storyteller.
A prolific waste criminal has been ordered to pay £1.2m in compensation for illegally dumping more than 4,000 tonnes of waste across England.
From BBC
For all the play’s prolific acclaim, “Amadeus” has had a conspicuous second act problem.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
