profusion

[ pruh-fyoo-zhuhn ]

noun

1. abundance; abundant quantity.

   Synonyms: copiousness, bounty

   Antonyms: scarcity

2. a great quantity or amount (often followed by of ).
3. lavish spending; extravagance.

   Synonyms: waste, excess, profligacy, prodigality

Word History and Origins

Origin of profusion¹

First recorded in 1535–45; rom Latin profūsiōn- (stem of profūsiō ) “a pouring out, extravagance,” originally, “libation”; profuse, fusion

Synonym Study

See plenty.

Example Sentences

Riverside County firefighters arrived at the 9500 block of 52nd Street Friday afternoon to find Antonio Moreno and his 12-year-old son suffering from a profusion of bee stings, inflicted while they were feeding their four horses in the 9500 block of 52nd Street, ABC7 reported.

From Los Angeles Times

For many locals, the South Bay, with its profusion of Japanese supermarkets and restaurants, has eclipsed Little Tokyo for everyday shopping and eating.

From Los Angeles Times

Seventy-eight million years later, members of that ancient profusion are still turning up, leading to a modern boom in discoveries.

From New York Times

He produced, with very mixed results, a profusion of giant metal reliefs, undulating and glittery constructions sprayed with automotive paint.

From New York Times

A study of pollen and spore abundances revealed a profusion of fern spores showing a range of malformations, from abnormalities in wall structure to evidence for botched meiotic divisions, leading to unseparated, dwarfed, and fused fern spores.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• glut
• outpouring