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
Synonym Usage
See productive.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of prolific
First recorded in 1640–50, prolific is from the Medieval Latin word prōlificus “fertile.” See prolicide, -fic
Explanation
Someone or something that is prolific is fruitful or highly productive. A prolific songwriter can churn out five hit tunes before breakfast. A prolific writer cranks out two novels a year, and a prolific rabbit has baby bunnies every few months. The word comes from combining the medieval Latin prolificus (“offspring”) with a form of facere (“to make or do”). It can also connote something taking root and growing, like prolific poison ivy that takes over the yard.
Vocabulary lists containing prolific
The Scarlet Letter
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GRE Verbal Reasoning, List 1
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"A Modest Proposal," Vocabulary from the satire
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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.
The recent daily output of business news publisher Quartz appears to largely come from a “single, hugely prolific journalist heavily aided by AI.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
And if struggling is how Mona will mold herself for the theater — stretching and shaping her performance into something worthy of the greater New Jersey area’s most prolific stage — so be it.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
"The concerning nature of the Early Release Scheme in this case was a known prolific offender being put back into the community, only to immediately reoffend," Williams said.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
His father, the prolific actor beloved for roles in “Saving Private Ryan,” “Forrest Gump” and “Toy Story,” received the Globes’ Cecil B. Demille award later that evening.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Euler was an excellent mathematician—in fact, he was one of the most prolific and influential in history—but in this case the careless manipulation of zero and infinity led him astray.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
